Tough Choices
by doomweasel
Summary: Kenshin must choose between the two people he loves most and ends up paying dearly for it. WARNING: SanoKen yaoi. NOT LEMON! Rated R for language, sensuality.
1. Chapter one

(Date of entry: 9/14/03) You know, once I finished this story I didn't know what to do with myself. Soo.... I revised it!! Woohooo!! It's bigger, better, and.... um.... yeah. For those who haven't figured it out yet, this has Kenshin/Sano yaoi, which means they kiss and.... other stuff... but it's NOT A LEMON!!!!   
  
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The thing about Kenshin was that he almost _never_ drank, especially in public. Because of this, it surprised Sanosuke quite a bit when Kenshin offered to accompany him to a little party that, considering the nature of those attending, would inevitably turn into one giant drinking contest. Privately, Sano liked to think that it was because Kenshin enjoyed being near him as much as he enjoyed being near Kenshin, but in reality he knew it was probably because Kenshin figured Sano would need help just standing up when it was all over.  
  
Regardless of their true intentions, the two friends left the Kamiya Dojo at nine and headed for the lower-class little teahouse where they would meet Sano's friends. It was already dark by this time, and if Sanosuke looked up he could see the myriad stars that twinkled and danced across the sky.  
  
"The stars are quite beautiful tonight, that they are," Kenshin remarked, tilting his head back to gaze at the night sky.  
  
"Yeah," Sano agreed. "You normally can't see them this well in the city."  
  
Kenshin nodded, his eyes still on the stars high above. Sanosuke couldn't help but admire his friend's elegant neck, accentuated by his mane of red hair that was frosted silver by the moonlight. It was all Sano could do to keep from reaching out and running his hands through Kenshin's long hair, to kiss that lean neck... _Snap out of it, idiot!_ he mentally scolded himself. _Don't let it get to you._ Still, it was very hard to resist...  
  
"Sano?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Lowering his gaze from the sky to meet Sanosuke's dark eyes, Kenshin said, "I've been thinking lately, that I have."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Well, it's Miss Kaoru's birthday soon, is it not? I believe she'll be turning eighteen, that she will. We should do something special for her."  
  
Of course, it _had_ to be something about Kaoru. Though Sano knew that it was wrong, he couldn't help but feel resentment for the younger girl. How could _she_ get so close to Kenshin while _he_ had to just stand by and watch? It was the worst possible torture that Sanosuke could think of. "You're right. Maybe we could take her to the theater or something."  
  
"That's a great idea, Sano!" Kenshin smiled his kind, gentle smile, sending another jolt of longing through Sanosuke. Needless to say, he was very relieved when they finally reached the teahouse. From the boisterous laughter, Sano could tell that the party had started without him. No matter - all he needed was some _sake_ right now, no matter how he procured it.  
  
"Sano!" several people called out jovially as he entered. "Who's your friend?" one in particular, Yutaka, asked as Sano sat down next to him.  
  
"This is Kenshin, guys. I've told you about him," Sano said, jerking his thumb at Kenshin, who sat down next to him.  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember. Here Kenshin, have some _sake._" Yutaka gestured to a young _geisha_ and said, "What do you think of our _geisha?_ They're some of the finest in Tokyo - or at least the finest the cheapskates who are running this party could afford!" The _geisha_ laughed appropriately at the joke as she kneeled next to Kenshin and poured some alcohol into a glass with practiced grace. Kenshin received it with a polite "thank-you" and sipped the fiery beverage, but only out of courtesy.  
  
Sanosuke, on the other hand, was already on to his second glass. When someone asked if he wanted to play a quick game of dice, he slammed the sake glass on to the tray and drawled, "Why not?"  
  
A pair of dice was withdrawn from an unknown source and a game of craps was promptly started, with Sano promptly loosing several yen. However, instead of laughing it off carelessly or muttering sullenly for the rest of the evening (having been known to do both on several occasions), Sanosuke barely reacted to the loss of money at all. They were on to the tenth round when an apprentice _geisha_ with a face painted white as an actor's mask came up, bowed deferentially, and asked, "Excuse me, but is there a Himura Kenshin here?"  
  
"Yes?" Kenshin asked, setting his _sake_ glass on the low table.  
  
"Himura-_san_, there are some police officers at the door who would like to speak with you," the _geisha_ said, pointing towards the front door. Indeed, three men in crisp blue police uniforms waited politely at the entrance, looking around the dim, crowded interior with some distaste.  
  
"Thank you," Kenshin said to the woman, who bowed again and continued her rounds. To Sano and his friends, Kenshin said, "Excuse me. It'll be just a moment, that it will." He rose, smoothed the wrinkles in his _hakama_, and padded over to where the policemen waited. "You wished to speak with me?"  
  
"Himura-_san_, I am Inspector Fushiyuuki of the Department of the Interior," said the foremost of the police, a man with a pencil-thin mustache, greasy, thinning black hair, and many medals and ribbons that attested to his high rank. "Is it correct to assume you are acquainted with one Sagara Sanosuke?"  
  
Kenshin stiffened, resisting the urge to look back at his friend. "Yes, that I do," he replied, guardedly polite.  
  
Fushiyuuki nodded, as if it was the answer he had wanted to hear. "Would you say that Sagara-_san_'s views of the Meiji government are... less than favorable?"  
  
The mask of cheerful ignorance remained steadfastly fixed on Kenshin's face. "I'm afraid I couldn't say, that I could not. We don't talk about politics that often."  
  
One of the inspector's thin eyebrows lifted skeptically. "Please, Himura-_san_. We are all honest men here." Having suspicions to the contrary, Kenshin did not answer, but Fushiyuuki didn't seem to expect one. "It has been suspected by certain authorities that Sagara-_san_ has conspired against the Meiji government. In particular, it is believed that he may have planned or is planning to destroy the Internal Affairs Building," he continued. "All that we need is for you to answer a few questions in order for us to deem whether he is guilty or not."  
  
"I would be honored to help in any way possible, but I'm afraid that right now isn't the best time, that it is not," Kenshin said, outwardly calm. "Perhaps if you called another day..."  
  
"Oh, of course. I couldn't expect you to leave a party early." Fushiyuuki placed his hat over his balding head and touched the rim in a sort of salute. He made as if to leave, then paused and said in that same sickeningly professional tone of voice, "I must say before I leave, Himura-_san_, that I believe it is in your best interest - and that of your friends at the Kamiya Dojo - to tell the truth."  
  
Kenshin narrowed his lavender eyes angrily, immediately dropping all polite pretenses. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh, nothing." Fushiyuuki let his eyes wander casually about the room as if he couldn't care less about the matter he was discussing. "There hasn't been much rain lately. Fires have been a real problem in Tokyo for some time."  
  
If the Battousai were still in control, the inspector would have been dead before the next breath was taken. Instead, Kenshin clenched his fist and hissed, "I don't respond well to threats."  
  
"Now who ever threatened anybody?" Fushiyuuki asked with an air of mock innocence so thick it made Kenshin want to strike him down all the more. "I was simply remarking on the dry weather we've been having lately." He smiled, and with the same tone of voice that a cat may invite a mouse to dine he said, "I am a very busy man, so I will call upon you again in three days, Himura-_san_. Enjoy your party."  
  
It was all Kenshin could do from cutting the conniving bastard into several pieces as Inspector Fushiyuuki bowed to the teahouse mistress and stepped out onto the street, whistling a merry tune the entire time.  
  
O_O O_O O_O   
  
Sanosuke watched Kenshin talk to the policeman, the warm blush of drunkenness already gracing his high cheekbones. _Goddamn it, Kenshin,_ he thought, why the hell do you have to be so attractive? When he thought about it, Sano realized that he couldn't have picked a worse person to fall in love with if he tried. If he had to fall for another man - which preferably he would have liked to avoid altogether - why couldn't he have fallen for Katsu from his days with the Sekihotai or one of the many friends he went on drinking binges with? Damn it, Sano would rather have fallen for someone totally psycho like Aoshi or that dick-head Saito than the former Battousai. Well... maybe not, but it got the point across.  
  
Kenshin was the only person Sano knew that he could be so close to on a regular basis and yet still feel so distant. Just being near him was agony for Sanosuke, and when Kenshin smiled it felt like every cell in Sano's body was being ripped apart. He'd tried taking out his sexual frustration on some of the whores in Tokyo's red-light district, but it just wasn't the same. It just made Sano long for Kenshin's touch all the more...  
  
Yutaka looked his friend up and down with some concern. "You know, Sano, I've never seen you look so depressed while drinking."  
  
Sano gave Yutaka an angry sidelong glance that said, _Who the hell asked you?_  
  
"Lemme guess... woman troubles, right?"  
  
"I suppose you could say that," Sano answered, looking pointedly at Kenshin.  
  
Yutaka followed Sanosuke's gaze. When he saw who he was looking at, Yutaka stared at his friend with disbelief. "No way!" Sano nodded, somewhat mournfully, causing Yutaka to whistle and shake his head with surprise. "Man, Sano. I had no idea..."  
  
"Neither did I, 'till I met him."  
  
"To tell the truth, I never could have suspected that you, of all people, prefer men... Although in retrospect, that does explain a lot - just kidding, just kidding!" Yutaka recanted as Sano lunged for him. When he'd settled back down, Yutaka continued, "So... are you... and him...?" He discreetly stuck out his thumb, meaning he was asking if Kenshin was Sano's boyfriend.  
  
"Are you kidding? He's got his own little _tanuki_-girl fawning over him every waking moment! Girls swoon about him everywhere he goes." Sano took another gulp of _sake_ and motioned for more. As the ever-present _geisha_ refilled his glass, he muttered, "It doesn't help that I've got a fox-lady hounding me every chance she's got..."  
  
"You've really stepped in it this time, my friend."  
  
Sano snorted derisively. "You're telling me." Somewhere in the back of his head, a little voice told Sanosuke that the alcohol was making his tongue dangerously loose and that he should shut up on the horrifying off chance that Kenshin would overhear... Speak of the devil, the aforementioned ex-assassin returned to his seat at that moment. He took up his _sake_ glass and swirled the beverage absently, completely ignoring the _geisha_'s playful flirtations. It didn't take a psychic to see that something was bothering Kenshin deeply. "Kenshin?" Sano asked, the effects of the alcohol immediately negated by concern for his friend. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Kenshin didn't seem to hear Sanosuke at first. Sano was just about to repeat himself when Kenshin looked up and smiled. "No, nothing's wrong."  
  
"What did that guy want to talk to you about?"  
  
"Oh, he just wanted to ask me a few questions, that he did," said Kenshin in a voice that clearly told Sano to drop the subject. When Sanosuke nodded and turned to answer the question of another friend sitting nearby, Yutaka gave him a look that said, _Aren't you going to ask him more?_ Sano shook his head; when Kenshin didn't want to talk about something, you don't talk about it - period.  
  
However, as the night wore on, Sanosuke couldn't help but wonder what Kenshin was so worried about. And, he realized with a sinking feeling, he couldn't help but think it had something to do with _him._  
  
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Lalala.... send in your reviews, if you don't mind. 


	2. Chapter two

Even though this is meant to be a Kenshin/Sano yaoi, we can't just ignore Kaoru's obvious (and pathetic) infatuation with Kenshin. So the next chapter or two are about that. Bunch of random crap, really. Like Kaoru.  
  
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Kaoru took a large kitchen knife and began to slice the large salmon she'd bought for dinner into small red cubes in preparation for its journey to the skillet. Outside, she could hear the steady _wsk-wsk_ of the broom as Kenshin, despite having stayed out _way_ too late at a party with Sano the night before, swept the courtyard clean of fallen leaves and other debris. A warm feeling of calm settled over Kaoru like a blanket, making her smile without even thinking about it. It was times like these that, if she imagined just a little bit, she could believe that she and Kenshin were living in their own little home in the country, together, just the two of them. Nothing in the world would make her so happy as that.  
  
As she fell deeper into her little fantasy world, she could imagine that the thumping of Suzume and Ayame's feet on the wooden walkway were the footsteps of her own children... _their_ children...  
  
"Uncle Ken!" the girls shouted as they spotted their favorite playmate. Kaoru could hear scuffling sounds and a short "oof!" as they threw themselves at Kenshin, knocking him off-balance. "Tell us a story, Uncle Ken!" Ayame insisted.  
  
"Oh, but I have to finish my chores, that I do..."  
  
"You always have to work! You never play with us anymore!"  
  
"Yeah, you never play anymore!" Suzume echoed, a soft warble in her voice that denoted she was about to cry.  
  
"All right, all right. I'll tell you a story," Kenshin concurred. When Kaoru glanced up she could see his silhouette through the _shoji_-screen as he sat on the walkway and took one girl on each knee. _They've got him wrapped around their little fingers,_ she thought affectionately. _The big softie._  
  
Kenshin looked absently into the distance for a while, as if deciding what story to tell. Finally he looked back down at the girls and began in a soft, caring voice, "Once upon a time, in a little village far, far away, there lived a farmer."  
  
"What was his name?" Suzume asked.  
  
"Eh... his name was Tomodachi because he was friends with everyone in the village - right down to the chickens he kept in a coop. Tomodachi was an honest, hard-working farmer. He wasn't very rich, but he was happy because he had a home, food to eat, and many friends. One of his closest friends was a man named Kakashi. Everyone called him that because he was very tall and skinny and wore clothing that was too small for him, so Kakashi looked just like a scarecrow. He wasn't exactly hard working, but Kakashi had a kind heart and always looked out for those smaller or weaker than him.  
  
"Now, the village was ruled by a mean, greedy lord who taxed the villagers so much that they could barely survive. When Kakashi saw all the little children who wouldn't get dinner because of the bad lord, he got very, very angry. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer and one night he went to Tomodachi's house. When Tomodachi invited him in, Kakashi said, 'I can't take it any more, Tomodachi. I've got to do something about that evil lord. There are children who are starving because of his cruelty!'  
  
"'But what can you do?' Tomodachi asked.  
  
"'First,' Kakashi said, 'I'm going to break into the lord's storehouse, take all the food he's got locked up in there and give it to the people of the village. Then,' he added, his eyes gleaming, 'I'm going to burn down the lord's mansion, so he will never bully us again!'"  
  
"That's a bad thing to do!" Suzume cried, absolutely mortified. "The lord and his family could get hurt!"  
  
Kenshin nodded in agreement. "Tomodachi said the exact same thing. But Kakashi didn't care - he was determined to free the people from the lord's tyranny. When he left, Tomodachi debated for a long time about what to do. Finally, he decided to go out and stop Kakashi from carrying out his plan. He ran as fast as he could and was able to catch Kakashi just before he was going to break into the storehouse. However, even then Kakashi wouldn't stop, and Tomodachi had to knock him out to make him stop."  
  
"He hurt his own friend?" Ayame asked, totally engrossed by the story.  
  
"Yes, but if he hadn't, Kakashi would have done something very bad. Tomodachi would have been a bad friend if he let Kakashi do something he shouldn't." Ayame nodded her understanding, and Kenshin continued. "For a long time nothing happened, and Tomodachi thought the whole incident was behind them. But suddenly, one day the lord somehow found out that Kakashi had tried to break the law - which in itself is enough to punish him. Still, the lord didn't know for sure if the story was true, so he went to Tomodachi and asked the farmer if Kakashi had ever tried to break the law."  
  
Here, Kenshin's tone of voice changed; he now sounded sadder, more helpless. Kaoru couldn't help but admire how good of a storyteller he was - he made it sound like it really happened. "Now, Tomodachi was a very honest man and never lied to anybody. But he couldn't get Kakashi in trouble with the lord. He opened his mouth to say something when the lord grinned evilly and said, 'Remember to tell the truth, little Tomodachi, or I will have to double the taxes on all the people in the village.'  
  
"Tomodachi was shocked. The villagers were barely surviving as it was, and raising the taxes even one sen would be devastating! So he was faced with a choice: tell the truth and have his friend executed, or lie and have the whole village suffer."  
  
By now, Kaoru had set the knife down, slid aside the _shoji_-screen, and was leaning against the frame. When Kenshin stopped and did not start again, she asked softly, "How does the story end?"  
  
Kenshin turned and looked up at her, as if he was just aware of her presence. "I'm afraid I don't know, that I do not."  
  
Kaoru could see the deep sadness in his large violet eyes. _Kenshin,_ she yearned to say to him, _I can see how much pain you are in. Please, let me take some of your burden so you won't feel so sad all the time. I want to make you happy, Kenshin..._ Instead, she smiled cheerily and said, "Come on inside; dinner's almost ready."  
  
O_O O_O O_O   
  
Though it must have been well past midnight, Kaoru lay wide-awake on her _futon_. Lately, Kenshin had been acting very depressed and despondent about something, but Kaoru's gentle prodding to get him to talk had gotten nowhere. Kaoru worried about him, for she had seen Kenshin act similarly before - right before he left for Kyoto.  
  
She shuddered at the memory. _He can't leave me again. He can't!_ she thought, remembering the time before. _Kenshin... I don't think I'll survive if you leave again._ Her mind was so fixed on that one thought that she didn't really know what she was thinking as, like a doll controlled by strings, she rose from her _futon_ and walked over to the door.  
  
The night was very warm, so Kaoru didn't bother to put on a jacket over her sleeping robe as she slid the screen aside and stepped out onto the elevated walkway. The smooth, polished wood felt comfortingly cool against her bare feet as she padded down to Kenshin's room, where a single light still glowed softly. Kaoru's heart thudded in her ears as she stopped outside his room, working up enough courage to step inside. After a quick, silent debate on whether to knock or not, she opened the door and glided inside.  
  
Kenshin was sitting with his back against a wall, staring at the small lantern as if it were the only thing in his entire universe. When Kaoru stepped inside, he looked up in surprise, as if he'd just been awoken from a deep slumber. "Miss Kaoru," he asked, always courteous, "is there something you need?"  
  
"Yes." Kaoru kneeled before Kenshin, the brazier between them. Oh god, how was she going to put what she wanted to tell him into words? She'd rehearsed it so many times in her mind, but it seemed so difficult to actually say it out loud. "Kenshin..." she began hesitantly, "every day I look into your eyes... and I can see how much you suffer. I can see all the pain and sadness you feel." Kenshin said nothing, only watched and listened to Kaoru intensely. "And... and whenever I watch you suffer... it hurts me... here..." She placed a hand over her heart. _There's no turning back now._ Slowly, the hand moved to her sleeping _kimono_ and she pulled aside the fabric to reveal her breasts. Kaoru took Kenshin's slender hand in her own and pressed it against her cheek. "Please Kenshin... all I want is to make you happy," she whispered.  
  
"Miss Kaoru..." Kenshin began, his voice low, "I am eternally grateful for the love and kindness you have shown me, that I am. All I want is to return that love, that I do." The word "however" hung in the air so obviously that Kenshin didn't bother to utter it aloud as he removed his hand from Kaoru's grasp and gently closed the front of her _kimono._ "I do not want to risk... _damaging_... our relationship, that I do not."  
  
Tears sprang up at the corners of Kaoru's eyes and spilled down her cheek unchecked. Tenderly, Kenshin brushed away the stream of salty tears, murmuring, "Please try to understand, Miss Kaoru."  
  
Suddenly, Kaoru knocked away Kenshin's hand and dashed outside, her head bowed in shame. She threw open the screen to her room with a loud snap and hurled herself upon her _futon,_ unable to hold back any longer. For what seemed an eternity Kaoru whole body was wracked by terrible sobs so severe that she wouldn't have been able to control herself even if she had wanted to. _Stupid, stupid girl!_ a cruel voice inside her mind admonished. _What the hell were you thinking?_ Kaoru whimpered and curled up on her _futon._ She wanted to escape, to shut out this tormenting voice, but she couldn't any more than she could escape her own shadow. _Why would Kenshin ever want to be with a foolish little girl like you? Now because of your idiocy he probably thinks you're nothing more than a whore!_  
  
"I... I l-love him," Kaoru whispered between sobs.  
  
_Boohoo, you love him,_ the little voice mocked. _So you go and show him your tits, right?_ With this last self-deriding thought, Kaoru buried her face in her hands and wished with every last ounce of her will that she'd sink into the floor and just disappear. What had she been _thinking?_ No self-respecting person would ever do something like that... Now Kenshin probably wouldn't even speak with her - how could he after the disgusting way she'd acted? And if he hadn't a reason to stay at the dojo, then he'd become a wanderer again... _You tried to bring him closer, but ended up pushing him further away,_ the voice scorned. _Typical, you little screw-up._  
  
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Kaoru whimpered, but of course it didn't help because the voice was hers. She drew her knees up to her chin, clapped her hands over her ears, and screwed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to block out all the pain and embarrassment she was feeling.   
  
It was in this position that Yahiko found her the next morning.  
  
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Review review review!!! What more can I say? 


	3. Chapter three

Oh yeah, I guess I should do the disclaimer thingie, though I don't really see the point cuz it's not like I'm making any money off of this. Anywho, IdontownRurouniKenshinsodontsuemeImpoor!  
  
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"Kenshin, something's wrong with Kaoru," Yahiko declared, bursting into Kenshin's room. "She hasn't moved since I went to wake her up."  
  
Kenshin sighed. He had expected something like this - after all, he'd probably broken the poor girl's heart. As if he didn't have enough troubles already... "I'll go see her." He rose and brushed by Yahiko, who stood respectfully aside and closed the _shoji_-screen behind him. In stocking feet, Kenshin padded down the walkway to Kaoru's room. He tapped softly on the frame of the screen and called out quietly, "Miss Kaoru?"  
  
No response. Kenshin strained his ears to hear any sort of movement, but the room was as silent as though there was no one in there at all. At length, he cautiously slid the _shoji_-screen aside and peered into the darkened room. Once his eyes had adjusted to the relative gloom of the room, he looked down to see Kaoru curled up on her _futon_, her back to him. She gave no sign of noticing him, though Kenshin knew she was very much awake. He closed the screen behind him and knelt on the floor a respectful distance away. "Miss Kaoru? Are you all right?"  
  
_Of course I'm not all right,_ Kaoru thought. She didn't say this out loud, however; she couldn't even bring herself to _look_ at Kenshin, she was so ashamed. Honestly, Kaoru didn't know why she didn't just kill herself with _seppuku_ like the samurais of olden times or throw herself into a river like the beautiful, love-struck maidens of the tragic _monogatari_ romances. Actually, that was a lie - she did know why. _It's because I'm a damn worthless coward. That's why._ Kaoru felt like crying again, but somehow she felt doing so in front of Kenshin would lower her standing in his eyes even more than she already was. _Oh god, how will he ever forgive me?_  
  
"There is nothing to forgive you of," Kenshin said softly, having seemingly come down with an acute case of mental telepathy. "Having feelings for one another is not a crime." He placed a brotherly hand on her shoulder. "Please understand, Miss Kaoru. I love you very much, that I do. I just don't feel it would be... appropriate, that I do not." He paused, waiting for her answer. When Kaoru didn't respond, Kenshin sighed, rose to his feet, and said, "Since it will be your birthday in two days, we decided to take you to the theater. They're performing _The Tales of Genji._ I hope you feel better in time for us to take you there." Still Kaoru did not react.  
  
Kenshin slid open the door and stepped out into the morning light, closing it courteously behind him. Yahiko, who had been waiting outside the whole time, looked curiously at Kaoru's prone form before it was hidden from view by the paper screen. "I take it this isn't the kind of thing we can just call Doctor Gensai or Miss Megumi about and have them fix her up, right?"  
  
Kenshin shook his head, mostly to confirm Yahiko's statement but partially because of wonder; though he was still young, but Yahiko already knew a great deal about people's emotions. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do except wait. This problem Kaoru must conquer on her own, that she must."  
  
Despite being in stocking feet, Yahiko hopped off the raised walkway to the dusty ground of the drought-ravaged garden below and began scuffing at a rock. "Man, I wonder what's got Kaoru all depressed. I haven't seen her act like this since you left for Kyoto." Yahiko narrowed his eyes and gave Kenshin a suspicious look. "You're not leaving again, are you?"  
  
Kenshin assured Yahiko that he was not, and after giving him several apprehensive glances the boy took his word for it and wandered off to find some breakfast, seeing that Kaoru obviously wasn't going to fix him some like she normally did. After looking over his shoulder at the closed door of Kaoru's room one more time, Kenshin walked off to begin his morning chores like usual. Though he resisted the feeling as much as possible, guilt gnawed away at his insides until he felt empty and hollow. If he had known that it would distress Miss Kaoru so much, than perhaps he _should_ have -  
  
_NO!_ Kenshin's conscience screamed. _As unkind as this may seem, it would be even crueler to give Kaoru false hopes. No one wants to live a lie._ And it would have been a lie, for although it was the truth when Kenshin said he loved Kaoru very, very much, it would not be true to say that he wanted to _be_ with her. Those feelings were reserved for another friend... the very friend he was now being ordered to betray.  
  
Kenshin filled the tub used for washing clothes, his mind still far off in its own world. To tell the truth, he had been somewhat frightened when he first realized that his feelings for Sanosuke had moved beyond simple friendship to something much deeper and more intimate. Sure, he'd wondered about being with a man before (he was pretty sure many guys did), but never seriously; it had been nothing more than careless "what ifs..." - that is, until now.  
  
Reaching into the nearby basket of dirty clothes, Kenshin pulled out a pair of _hakama_ soiled by sweat and dirt and dunked it into the soapy water. By now, his fears had moved away from his feelings in themselves to Sano's feelings - specifically, what Sanosuke would do if he ever found out how Kenshin felt about him. Of course, he couldn't possibly feel the same way Kenshin did, and his shrewd imagination conjured up several scenarios of what would happen if Sano found out based upon that fact. But, inevitably, the question always arose: "What if he does?" When that was asked, Kenshin's mind came grinding to a halt and refused to work anymore, for which he was quite grateful.  
  
Eventually, Kenshin's thoughts turned to the predicament presented to him two days ago. Over ten years ago he had sworn to use his sword only to protect those he loved, yet in this case his famed _sakabatou_ was useless - and, Kenshin felt, so was he. That corrupt snake of a policeman Fushiyuuki would return tomorrow, and Kenshin had yet to come up with a way to keep everybody out of harm.  
  
Fushiyuuki's words replayed themselves in Kenshin's head: "Be sure to tell the truth, Himura-san..." The truth. What a joke. Kenshin knew that Fushiyuuki had no way of proving if he lied or not, but he also knew that if the slimy bastard didn't get the answer he wanted to hear he'd carry through with his threat in full. If Kenshin did as he was told, Sanosuke would die. If he protected Sano, the person he loved, than the dojo would be destroyed and he had little doubt that Fushiyuuki would find a way to harm Kaoru and Yahiko as well. In layman's terms, he was up the proverbial shit creek without a paddle.  
  
"Oi, Kenshin - are you trying to drown my pants or what?" Yahiko asked as he brought out the sheets of his _futon_ to be washed, snapping Kenshin out of her reverie.  
  
Looking down, Kenshin realized he'd been holding the _hakama_ (which happened to be Yahiko's) underwater for at least fifteen minutes. He quickly scrubbed them clean, rinsed them out, and hung them on the nearby clothesline. "Sorry. I was thinking about something, that I was."  
  
"What were you thinking about? You looked pretty upset right then."  
  
Kenshin was silent for a while as he debated on how to explain himself to Yahiko. Finally he said, "The other night at the party I attended with Sano, someone posed me a question that has been bothering me for some time, that it has." He fell silent, hoping it would be enough to appease Yahiko's curiosity.  
  
As was to be expected, it wasn't. "Really? What was the question?"  
  
"Well... If you had to chose between betraying the one you loved most - as in cared for their well-being like a sister or daughter - and the person you love the most, as in..."  
  
"As in wanting to throw them down on the ground and have sex with them right now?" Yahiko supplied, quite unhelpfully.  
  
_And here I was thinking he'd matured, Kenshin thought._ "Uh... I suppose, though I wouldn't put it that way, I would not. Who would you betray?" He tucked a strand of red hair behind his ear and stared down at the glassy surface of the water. "I still haven't decided upon the answer, that I have not."  
  
Yahiko squatted down, the sheets still in his arms, and scratched his head of unruly black hair thoughtfully. "Man, I hate these rhetorical questions." He thought for a moment. "Okay, first of all... assuming that these two people you love aren't one and the same... well, first I'd try my damnedest to find a way to avoid betraying either altogether - even if it meant I'd have to pay for it."  
  
Kenshin nodded, as if Yahiko's answer had given him an idea, and waited for him to continue.  
  
"Failing that... then I would chose the option that harmed the least amount of people, as much as it may hurt me emotionally."  
  
"The option that harmed the least amount of people..." Kenshin repeated contemplatively.  
  
Yahiko could practically see the wheels in Kenshin's head turning, even when he returned to washing the laundry. _Man, he's really taking this seriously._ Shrugging, the boy rocked back on his heels and stretched. "To tell the truth Kenshin, if someone had asked me that before I met you and Kaoru I'd have probably said something really different." When Kenshin looked up in surprise, Yahiko continued, "I mean you've really rubbed off on me - and on the others, too. Now I try to make up for being a pickpocket by helping people and applying myself to my studies. Miss Megumi repents for making opium by saving lives with her medical skills - hell, even _Sano_ makes up for the bad things he's done in the past by helping others... though I'll bet if you asked he'd probably deny it."  
  
Kenshin smiled slightly at this last statement. "It's gratifying to know I've had such an influence on people, that it is."  
  
"Yeah, well don't let it get to your head. The last thing I need is you strutting around with an ego as big as Kaoru's."  
  
"That's not very nice, that it isn't."  
  
"The truth isn't always nice." Yahiko stood and dropped the sheets into the washtub, splashing Kenshin in the process. He then turned and walked off to practice his swordsmanship - or, just as likely, to lounge outside the practice hall.  
  
Kenshin wiped away the foam that had landed on his face with the back of his hand, Yahiko's words ringing in his ears. As unlikely as it seemed, the young boy had actually given Kenshin an idea on how to... he hesitated to use the word "best"...handle the situation. Preferably he would have liked to avoid the problem altogether and gone on living peacefully at the dojo with Kaoru and Yahiko, but the higher powers - whatever they may be - had decided to not be so easy on him. Kenshin finished washing the laundry as quickly as possible and stood, walking to the gate of the dojo.  
  
Somewhat surprisingly, Yahiko was indeed practicing his sword strokes with his _shinai_ outside the practice hall. Though he'd been exercising for a short time, beads of sweat already lined his brow because of the unseasonable heat that had plagued the city for some time. When he saw Kenshin open the latch on the gate, Yahiko lowered his bamboo sword and asked, "Where are you going?"  
  
Half turning around, Kenshin answered casually, "I have some errands to run, that I do."  
  
Yahiko wasn't fooled. "Uh-uh. I've heard that tone before. You're up to something you don't want Kaoru to know about - so spill."  
  
This time Kenshin turned all the way around so he was facing Yahiko, though he didn't step away from the half-open gate. He smiled his sad smile, and for a brief instant let down his barriers so that the sadness he was feeling showed through. "Yahiko, I'm sorry that I can't tell you what's going on, that I am. Nonetheless, whatever may happen I ask that you trust I'm doing what I think is best for all of you."  
  
"But Kenshin - " It was too late for Yahiko's protests, for Kenshin had already gone. The _shinai_ clattered to the ground from his numb hand; Kenshin's departure had effectively killed all ambitions of practicing. _I ask that you trust I'm doing what I think is best for all of you,_ Kenshin had said. "I'll try," Yahiko said, shaking his head. "Just... come back to us, Kenshin."  
  
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Yeah. Corny. Whatever. Just review. 


	4. Chapter four

The first thing Kenshin did was pay a visit to one of his most valuable (if not most friendly) sources of information about the inner workings of the Meiji government, Hajime Saito. When he thought about it, Kenshin realized that he probably should have done that right away, but it was too late for regrets now. Once he contacted the former member of the Shinsen-gumi, the two agreed to meet in front of a renowned open-air restaurant.  
  
"If you've called me so you can beg for my help, Battousai," Saito said as soon as he saw Kenshin, "let me tell you right now that you're wasting your time. This case was out of my hands from the beginning."  
  
Kenshin sighed, for although he'd expected such an answer he'd still held on to that little glimmer of hope. "I haven't come to ask for help, that I have not, but for information. What can you tell me about Inspector Fushiyuuki?"  
  
Saito absently plucked at the fabric of one of his white police gloves, not bothering to look at his former enemy. "Fushiyuuki is working under the good graces of some of the highest government authorities. I can't tell you how they found about that chicken-head's plot to destroy the Department of Internal Affairs because frankly I don't know. In any case, Fushiyuuki weaseled his way to the head of the investigation in the hopes of looking good to his superiors. For him, it doesn't truly matter whether he finds the real culprit or not; as long as he finds someone to blame the incident on, Fushiyuuki's promotion is secured as far as the higher-ups are concerned." Saito gave Kenshin a meaningful look out of the corner of his eye. "By the time this is all over, someone is going to die. The only decision you can influence is who."  
  
Kenshin knew exactly what Saito meant, and it sobered him greatly. He'd thought that he'd left all this behind ten years ago, at the end of the Revolution. It made him sick just thinking that someone's very life was at his mercy. Nevertheless, he had to go through with his plan now, before he ran out of time. "Saito, I have one last favor to ask of you, that I do."  
  
"Hmph. Then it seems you've grossly misjudged my character."  
  
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like you to keep an eye on Miss Kaoru and the dojo. I'm afraid that they are in danger from Fushiyuuki, and I won't be able to protect them, that I will not."  
  
"Well, that's hardly surprising." Saito meant it wasn't surprising that Fushiyuuki had threatened innocent women and children, not that Kenshin was incapable of defending his friends. Of course, Saito would do everything in his power to protect those at the dojo - plus Dr. Gensai, Megumi, and the girls as well - out of pure respect for his former adversary. But he didn't need to announce it to the world and make the Battousai think he'd gone soft. "Is that all you came for?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then I'll take my leave." Saito touched the brim of his police hat in a somewhat deferential fashion and walked down the street, one gloved hand on the hilt of the _katana_ at his belt.  
  
Kenshin watched him go, his arms tucked in his _kimono_. To think that he trusted the well being of the ones he loved with one of his greatest enemies of the Revolution... certainly, the Battousai of years past wouldn't have stood for it. Fortunately, the Battousai was gone. Kenshin walked briskly off towards his next destination; he'd need to hurry if he was to get everything prepared in time.  
  
As he walked, the other inhabitants of Tokyo continued their lives around him as if nothing could possibly be wrong. Kenshin watched with a twinge of jealousy as children scampered about him, enjoying a childhood that he'd never been able to experience. _And it is because of that I must try to protect these children,_ Kenshin thought. _No child should experience what I did._  
  
At one point, Kenshin spotted two children sparring with wooden sticks that masqueraded as swords. The boys couldn't do much more than wave their mock-weapons around wildly, occasionally landing or parrying a blow by chance. When the taller, presumably older of the two boys jabbed the smaller child in the chest, he raised his fists in the air triumphantly. "Hah! I killed you!" he jeered.  
  
"No you didn't!" the younger boy whined.  
  
"Yeah I did! I got you in the chest - right there!" The boy jabbed his companion once more. "So you're dead now."  
  
"Well, I got you first!"  
  
"Nuh-uh! You're just upset because I won."  
  
"I did too kill you first, you cheater!"  
  
"I'm not a cheater, you are!"  
  
Kenshin shook his head half out of amusement and half out of disgust as the boys' verbal squabbling turned into physical combat, which was quickly halted by their parents. The children of this generation had no idea how horrifying, how _permanent_ death was. They would learn, eventually, though hopefully as very small children they wouldn't experience anything more traumatic than the death of a pet or some anonymous animal found on the side of a road.  
  
However, some young ones - too many, in Kenshin's opinion - felt the eternalness of death in a much more personal fashion through the death of a relative, perhaps a parent or sibling, or maybe a friend who had no more reason to die than a fish has a reason to fly. These were the children who aged beyond their years, who even at a young age viewed the world with the eyes and mind of someone who had experienced terrible suffering. It was these children who changed the way the world worked, though for better or for worse was up to fate to decide.  
  
By this time Kenshin had reached a more run-down section of Tokyo. Though it had been a very long time since he'd visited the residence that was his destination, he navigated the narrow streets unerringly until he reached the tiny house. Kenshin carefully overstepped the open gutter flowing with God-knows-what that ran in front of the house and knocked on the door.  
  
The screen slid aside, and a young man with long black hair and a green bandanna tied around his head looked out to see Kenshin standing before him. His eyes widened in surprise. "You!" he gasped, Kenshin clearly being the last person he suspected to come knocking at his door. The next thing he said was, "Did Sano send you?"  
  
"No, although the reason for my visit has to do with him, that it does."  
  
Katsu regarded Kenshin with understandable suspicion - after all, the last time he and Kenshin had met they fought against each other. "Care to explain how?"  
  
"I don't have much time, that I do not, but give me a moment and I will. Believe me when I say it's a matter of life and death."  
  
O_O O_O O_O   
  
Sano rubbed the sweat off his face with one hand, wiping the soiled hand on his pants afterwards. He wanted to lie back on his _futon_ and go to sleep, but doing so would only cause the sheets to get all sweaty and stick unpleasantly to his skin. Though he'd opened all the _shoji_-screens and windows he possibly could in order to get some sort of evening cross-breeze going, all it did was let in a pungent stench from some unknown source, and the heat still bore down upon him like an enormously fat, sweaty man who came up behind you at a public bathhouse and breathed down your neck every time you tried to rinse yourself off.  
  
_Gaaah! No! Bad images! Out, dammit, out!_ Sanosuke hit himself in the head with the heel of his hand in order to rid himself of the disturbing pictures conjured up with that last figure of speech. _This goddamned heat is frying my brain. God, when will it end?!_ It hadn't been too bad until lately; then the stifling, sticky humidity came rolling in. Sano knew that humidity was usually a precursor to cool, refreshing rain, and he'd seen some clouds forming far on the horizon, but so far there had been no other sign of relief from the oppressive heat.  
  
Growling more curses at the ungodly temperature, Sano peeled his shirt off and threw it at the wall, which it hit with a dull _fmph_ and landed in a crumpled heap in the corner like an injured bird. With a sigh he flopped on his back, his arms spread wide. He was reaching into a small bowl of water set conveniently nearby to dribble some of the cool liquid on his face - screw that it would mess up the _tatami_-mats, they sucked anyway - when a soft knock on the frame of the _shoji_-screen caused him to look up.  
  
He knew who it was even before looking; only one person Sanosuke knew would knock even when the door was wide open. "Oi, Kenshin. What's up?"  
  
"Sano..." Kenshin said softly, removing his sandals and stepping onto the frayed _tatami_-mats, "there's something I need to talk to you about. Privately."  
  
Sanosuke's heart stopped for about three seconds when he heard that, but nonetheless he quickly shut all the screens and windows, turning his tiny apartment once more into a single stuffy room that normally would have been large enough to comfortably house the two men, but in his heightened state of tension it seemed unbearably small to Sano. "Is something the matter?" he asked as Kenshin settled onto the _tatami_ in front of him. He feared to ask the question: _Is it something about Kaoru?_  
  
"Sano..." Kenshin began again, his eyes fixed on the floor. "I've come to ask your forgiveness."  
  
The former hit man blinked in surprise. "My forgiveness? There's nothing to forgive you _for_." Sano couldn't help but notice Kenshin's lack of the usual polite suffix at the end of his sentences. He only did this when he was extremely angry or extremely distressed; considering the fact that the Battousai wasn't on a violent rampage, Sanosuke had to assume that it was the latter reason. "Kenshin, what's wrong?"  
  
Silently Sano tried to make eye contact with his friend, but Kenshin turned his head away with his eyes still downcast. In an act of unusual familiarity, Sano reached out with one large hand and tipped Kenshin's chin back until he was forced to meet Sanosuke's coffee-colored eyes. He was about to repeat the question when he saw something he'd never expected to see: Kenshin's gentle lilac eyes glistening softly with tears. In that instant the former manslayer seemed so helpless, so lost, that it seemed like the most natural thing in the world when Sano drew Kenshin towards him in a tender embrace. He waited for the resistance, the refusal of his affections, but to Sano's delight there was none.  
  
In the next instant their lips met, and it was a long time before they parted again. Sano stared down into Kenshin's eyes, and when he saw the sorrow and pain that still lingered there, he kissed him again and again in a heartfelt attempt to banish it forever. At one point he realized suddenly that his hand was reaching for the belt that held up Kenshin's _hakama_ and quickly pulled it away, aghast.  
  
Gently, Kenshin took Sano's hand in his own, its apparent delicacy belied by the calluses formed by years of wielding a sword. He returned Sano's hand to the sash of his _hakama_, leaned closer, and whispered into Sanosuke's ear, "Forgive me."  
  
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Mmmm.... I'll let your imagination take it from there. Don't forget to review, please. 


	5. Chapter five

And onward we go....  
Remember, I'm not profiting financially from this little story, so you can't sue me. :-P  
  
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When Kenshin awoke the next morning he was immediately bombarded with a flood of emotions: first was the shock that inevitably occurs when you awaken to find yourself naked and in the arms of a man who is equally lacking in clothes; next was a sort of pleasant embarrassment as the events from the night before played back through his head; thirdly he was suffused with a feeling of longing as Kenshin whished that he could stay there forever with his back pressed tight against Sano's chest and inhaling the surprisingly pleasant scents of sweat and sex; finally, a terrible sadness washed over Kenshin and banished all other emotions as he realized he could not, no matter how much he longed for it to be true.  
  
Carefully, so as not to awaken the still-slumbering Sanosuke, Kenshin lifted his companion's arm and quickly slid out of Sano's grasp. Then, as quietly as possible, he searched the interior of Sano's apartment for his clothing. Since the one-roomed structure consisted entirely of a raised floor with a _futon_ in the center, a small stove in the corner and some shelving on the walls, one would assume that it is very hard to loose something in Sanosuke's apartment. However, for Kenshin it proved to be to the contrary and it took some time to locate all the clothing he'd lost in the course of the night, the task taking even longer than normal because of his determination not to wake Sano. He never was able to find one of his socks; he'd just have to do without it.  
  
Wearing just his _kimono_, Kenshin gathered his long red hair into his fist and fastened it into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, all the while asking himself what the devil possessed him to even visit Sanosuke in the first place, never mind actually getting into bed with him. When he'd first realized that he'd somehow ended up at Sano's doorstep, Kenshin had fooled himself with the idea that he'd come to ask Sanosuke's forgiveness for what he was being forced to do. It was, after all, only proper when breaking.  
  
But when he looked into Sano's dark eyes, somehow Kenshin couldn't bring himself to say the words he'd had in mind. And when they kissed... Kenshin unconsciously licked his lips as if to taste the memory of Sano's mouth against his. It was then that Kenshin could no longer deny the true, purely selfish motive for his visit: he knew he'd probably never see his friend again, and wanted to fulfill his desires at least once before it became too late.  
  
Kenshin tied the sash that held up his _hakama_ around his waist and picked up his _sakabatou_, which sat, forlorn and forgotten, in the corner. With a final glance at Sano's prone form, he slid open the door and silently stepped down to the street below. As he slipped his feet into his sandals, Kenshin noticed an old woman sitting on the stoop of the house across the street, puffing contentedly on a pipe and giving him a very shrewd look.  
  
_Oh god, what if she heard us?_ Kenshin thought with a jolt of horror. After just a moment, he realized it was quite likely; it was the ever-present danger of living in a country with houses of paper. Still, custom dictated that he pretend nothing at all was going on, so Kenshin bowed deeply to the aged woman and said, "Good morning, Grandmother." The elderly woman just nodded and puffed on her pipe some more, though Kenshin didn't feel at ease until he was well out of range of her disturbingly keen gaze.  
  
Even then, once he'd returned to the main road, Kenshin's insides felt like they were rearranging themselves. It had been three days since the party he'd attended with Sano; three days since Fushiyuuki had presented the impossible choice to Kenshin. There was no time now for turning back, for second-guessing. He'd have to carry through with his decision no matter what. At this thought, Kenshin picked up his pace a little bit in order to get back to the dojo in time; to be late for this meeting would be disastrous, to say the least.  
  
O_O O_O O_O   
  
_Man, this bites,_ Yahiko thought sullenly as he scrubbed the walkways of the dojo. _First Kaoru goes into a slump and refuses to leave her room, then Kenshin up and disappears on me without any explanation at all. Some nerve he has._ What he didn't admit was that the reason he was so worried was because there was always the threat, no matter how insignificant, that Kenshin wouldn't come back. Nonetheless, Yahiko muttered sullenly about all the dreadful things he would say/do to the redheaded freak when he finally decided to return until a sound at the back gate made him look up. He was met with the sight of Kenshin closing the gate behind him as if nothing at all was abnormal, which sent the boy's fury climbing about twenty notches.  
  
"Well, look who finally decides to show up!" Yahiko announced, his hands on his hips like some annoyed mother chastising her wayward child. "You've got some balls, Kenshin, to leave me like that with Kaoru acting like she is! What the hell were you doing all night, anyway?" Kenshin just gave Yahiko a look he couldn't decipher and half-walked, half-shuffled to the well. "Oi, are you even listening to me?" Yahiko demanded as Kenshin drew a bucket of water and proceeded to wash his hands. He then took a mouthful of water, sloshed it around for a bit, and spat it out in a clear stream to one side.  
  
As Yahiko followed the path of the water through the dirt, he couldn't help but notice Kenshin's lack of one sock. "Kenshin, how did you...?" Then it all came together - the unexplained absence, the bleary eyes, the mussed-up hair, the missing articles of clothing... Yahiko's eyes widened with shock. "Holy shit, maybe I should've asked _who_ you were doing all night! So that whole 'the fate of the world rests on my shoulders' thing yesterday was just an _act?_"  
  
Kenshin just gave Yahiko another enigmatic look and dumped the remaining contents of the bucket on his head, snorting softly as the water entered his nose and shaking the excess out of his hair like a dog.  
  
Gradually, Yahiko's shock subsided, replaced by perverse curiosity. "So who was it, huh?" he goaded. "C'mon, you can tell me. I won't say a thing to Kaoru - promise! My lips are sealed!"  
  
His gaze clearer and more focused now, Kenshin looked down at Yahiko. "Where is Miss Kaoru?"  
  
The question caught Yahiko off-guard, and it took a bit for him to answer. "She's still moping in bed. Why?"  
  
Kenshin didn't answer. He plastered back his sopping bangs and said, "Yahiko, some men will be arriving shortly, that they will. Would you be so kind as to wait at the front gate and let them in when they get here?"  
  
"Uhh... okay. Why? What's going on?"  
  
Again, Kenshin didn't give Yahiko an answer. Instead, he turned and walked off to Kaoru's room, leaving Yahiko to wonder what in the world was going on and why the hell no one ever bothered to enlighten him.  
  
Standing outside Kaoru's room, Kenshin softly tapped on the screen and said, "Miss Kaoru? May I come in?" Even if Kaoru had answered, he didn't wait for the response and slid the door open. Sinking to the floor a respectful distance away from where Kaoru lay on her futon, Kenshin was silent for a moment as he formulated the words he wished to say. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, "Miss Kaoru, I remembered the ending to the story I told the other day, that I have. Would you like me to tell you it?"  
  
Only his keen senses honed by years of battle allowed Kenshin to discern the tiniest shift in Kaoru's position, which was all the affirmation he needed.  
  
"Well, as you may remember, Tomodachi was faced with an impossible situation: turn in his best friend to the evil lord, or let the rest of the village suffer. He thought for a long, long time, until finally he realized that the lord didn't want Kakashi in particular, but he just needed someone - anyone - to blame the incident on so the lord could make an example of him in front of the rest of the villagers. With this thought in mind, Tomodachi took a deep breath and said, 'Kakashi didn't try to break into your storehouse and burn your house down; I did. I couldn't stand the terrible way you treat everyone in the village. Kakashi was the one who stopped me from doing so.'  
  
"The lord looked at Tomodachi for a long time; he didn't believe his story one bit, even though he had no way to prove Tomodachi was lying. However, in the end the lord decided that it didn't matter as long as he had someone to blame, and he said, 'All right then. You are under arrest for plotting against me.' As the guards put Tomodachi in chains, he wasn't sad at all, but glad - glad that he was able to find a way to keep everyone he loved safe, even at his own expense." Kenshin fell silent once again, as if slowly mulling over the story he'd just told.  
  
From outside came the sound of the front gate opening, accompanied by the voices of several men. As though this were his cue, Kenshin stood and opened the _shoji_-screen, letting the morning sunlight flood over Kaoru's back. "Good-bye, Miss Kaoru," he said softly, and left.  
  
It was this last statement that finally snapped Kaoru out of her reverie. Kenshin _never_ said good-bye unless he was truly leaving. She sat bolt upright in bed, the blankets clutched in her fist, and stared at the door he'd just passed through. "Kenshin..." _That story..._ she realized. _He must be..._ Not even bothering to change out of her sleeping robe, she lunged for the door and positively hurled herself down the walkway in a desperate attempt to stop Kenshin.  
  
When she reached the front yard, Kaoru finally stopped and allowed herself to examine the situation with a few shreds of rationality. Kenshin, with Yahiko lingering off to one side, stood before four policemen. One was that terrible man Saito, the one next to him short and slim with greasy, thinning, hair and a pencil-thin mustache. "Well, well, I'm glad you finally decided to grace us with your presence, Himura-_san_," the mustached policeman said in a voice that immediately reminded Kaoru of a serpent. "For a moment I was afraid you'd run away."  
  
Kenshin just nodded once in reply. Unlike Kaoru, he was virtually overjoyed at Saito's presence, for it meant the former captain of the third squad of the Shinsen-gumi was more than willing to carry out Kenshin's request. "I would never do something like that on a matter that is of so much importance, that I would not."  
  
"Yes, quite." Fushiyuuki grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth. "So, do you have the information I requested?"  
  
"Yes." Kenshin reached for his _sakabatou_, causing all the police except for Saito to tense up and put a hand on their sabers. However, instead of drawing his sword, Kenshin removed the sheathed _sakabatou_ from his sash, knelt, and placed it on the dirt in front of him. Still kneeling, he bowed deeply and said, "I, Himura Kenshin, confess to attempting to destroy the Department of Internal Affairs. I despise the Meiji Government, as it is not the dream that I had hoped to fulfill ten years ago. Sagara-_san_ is innocent - indeed, he is the one who prevented me from carrying out the plan. If you return to the police station, I believe you will find a handwritten testimony of a witness who wishes to remain anonymous supporting my confession."  
  
"_What?!_" Yahiko burst out, unable to keep silent any longer. "What the hell are you talking about Kenshin?!"  
  
"Quiet, boy," Saito snapped suddenly. "Those who aren't aware of the situation shouldn't try and give others advice about it."  
  
"Well _maybe_ I'd know what's going on if _some people_ would bother to - "  
  
"Yahiko..." Kenshin's voice was soft, but its effect on Yahiko and the others was more profound than all of Saito's harshness could ever be. "Please, remember what I said last night." To Fushiyuuki: "I have said all there is to say, that I have. I believe the decision is an obvious one, that I do."  
  
"Is that so?" The corrupt policeman asked, obviously not believing a word Kenshin said. "How do I know you're not just covering for your dear friend?"  
  
"Himura has assisted the police on numerous occasions in the apprehension of criminals, and his credibility is unrivaled in Tokyo," Saito interrupted unexpectedly. He fixed the Battousai with a meaningful look. "His word is indubitable."  
  
Fushiyuuki turned on the taller man, his face contorted into a snarl. "No one asked you," he hissed. "According to regulations you shouldn't even be here - this isn't your case. I could have you removed from the premises immediately." Because of his obvious - and well-founded - fear of Saito, however, Fushiyuuki did nothing to carry through with his threat and just stood there and fumed.  
  
Saito laughed scornfully. "Threaten me all you wish, it won't make any difference. However..." he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "However, I must say that it would please the head of the department if he heard that you'd managed to wrap up this case so quickly... it would save the department a lot of money, and we all know how much the Meiji government favors those who find ways to minimize the needless expenditure of administrative yen." From where he knelt on the ground, Kenshin shot his former adversary a grateful look, which Saito ignored completely.  
  
Fushiyuuki looked up at Saito sharply. "What are you suggesting?"  
  
"I'm not suggesting anything; just musing aloud, nothing more."  
  
Fushiyuuki turned out to be very poor at concealing emotions, as Saito's words had an obvious effect on him. After what seemed an excruciating long time of deliberation, he grinned once more and turned to the two subordinate policemen standing at attention behind him. "Confiscate Himura's weapon and get him in chains." Turning to Kenshin, who still knelt on the ground, he said, "Himura Kenshin, you are under arrest for conspiracy against the government."  
  
"_NO!_" Kaoru wailed, slumping to the floor. Until then she had stood silently, unwilling to believe that the events playing out before her were anything more than some horrible dream. But to see Kenshin's slender wrists bound by iron manacles... it was as if her very heart and soul were chained by that image.  
  
Kenshin looked up at the sound of her voice, a look of honest surprise on his face. When he saw her sitting there in front of the practice hall he smiled, but the gesture seemed strained. "Please excuse me, Miss Kaoru," he said, as if nothing were happening at all. "I won't be able to see _Tales of Genji_ with you, that I won't - I hope you enjoy it anyway." And with that he turned and walked out the gate as calmly as if he were going out for an afternoon stroll, totally ignoring the policemen flanking both side and the heavy metal handcuffs encircling his wrists.  
  
Fushiyuuki, who lead the little procession, looked back briefly to see Saito standing rooted to one spot. "Aren't you coming, Inspector Fujita?" he asked, the word "inspector" pronounced like some sort of vile curse.  
  
Saito didn't bother to look back at his fellow policemen. "Since I'm not officially on this case, I think I'll stay here and speak with the other members of the dojo for a while," he said with that infuriatingly arrogant tone.  
  
"Suit yourself." Fushiyuuki watched with an air of immense satisfaction as the police shoved Kenshin into the back of the ironclad police wagon they so conveniently brought along. He spoke briefly to one of the two guards, who bowed and let the inspector climb into the back with the prisoner and the other guard. The metal door shut with an ominous clang, and the armored wagon rolled away, leaving Kaoru feeling more helpless than she'd ever felt before in her life.  
  



	6. Chapter six

I'm running out of things to say before and after each chapter.... *readers cheer*  
Grrr..... well, just keep reading, please.  
  
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When Sanosuke awoke, he held in his arms empty space instead of Kenshin. Not moving from his position on the futon, he slowly clenched and unclenched his fists as if making sure that he was still in his real body. _Was it a dream...?_ No, it couldn't be; a dream wouldn't explain the smell of Kenshin's long, silky hair still lingering in Sano's memory, or the pleasantly warm, tingling sensation that permeated throughout his body - or, most importantly, the fact that Sano was stark naked.  
  
Stiff from sleep (or lack thereof), Sano propped himself up on one elbow and ran a hand through his unkempt brown hair. Though it was hardly necessary, he looked around the room for some sign of his absent partner. Not surprisingly, there was neither hide nor hair of Kenshin to be seen. _Typical - Kenshin leaves without so much as a "good-bye,"_ Sanosuke thought, amused. _For a guy who talks so politely, he sure can be rude sometimes._  
  
He rubbed the grit from his eyes and sat upright, reaching for his discarded pants. As he struggled to get them on without needing to stand up, Sano reviewed the events of the night before with some pleasure. However, some questions inexorably - and quite annoyingly - arose, first and foremost being: When the hell did Kenshin feel the same way Sano did? Why did he suddenly act with such... well, passion? And, most importantly, what was it that seemed to make him so sad?  
  
Sano fished his red Sekihotai bandanna from underneath the crumpled sheets and tied it around his head with practiced ease, thinking, _Even when I was screwing his brains out he seemed... upset... I almost got the feeling that... this was the last time we'd ever see each other._ He smiled and shook his head. Yeesh, Kenshin's perpetual angst was beginning to rub off on him.   
  
As Sanosuke put on his shirt, he noticed that he had been lying on a small maroon sock. The first thing he thought was: _Well, that proves it wasn't just a dream._ Secondly: _Kenshin might want that back._ He briefly toyed with the devilish idea of keeping the sock so Kenshin would have to come back for it (with all the consequences entailed), but finally decided against it. Besides, he needed some exercise, and a walk to the dojo would do quite nicely.  
  
Opening the door, Sano stepped into his shoes and was about to start off when a gravelly voice called out, "Oi, young'in."  
  
He looked up to see the old woman who lived across the street sitting on the front step, smoking her pipe and gazing at him expectantly. He'd exchanged a few words with her a couple times and they were on friendly terms, though Sano honestly couldn't remember her name offhand. "Mornin', Grandma."  
  
"Name's not 'Grandma,' you little hooligan," the woman growled playfully, though she didn't offer a suitable substitute. She took the old wooden pipe out of her mouth and jabbed the gummed-up end of it at Sanosuke. "Lissen, young'in. You'd better hurry if you wanna catch 'im."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"That red-haired friend of yours. He buggered off almost half 'n hour ago, I'd reckon. And lemme tell you somethin' - he's goin' somewheres he's not comin' back from, so you'd best catch him 'fore it's too late. Someone like him is too good to loose."  
  
Sano blinked and stared at the shriveled old woman in confusion, not sure if she was serious or not. "Wha...?"  
  
Staring at Sanosuke with bright, dark eyes, the elderly woman returned the pipe to her mouth and puffed on it for a few moments. Finally, with the same grave tone of voice, she said, "Now gimme three yen and I'll read your palm."  
  
At this, Sano burst out into loud, relieved laughter; she was just messing with him the whole time. "Oi, Grandma, you're really good at this. I almost believed you for a second there. I think you should do fortune-telling for a living."  
  
"Told you, my name's not 'Grandma.' Now get goin' and catch up with that pretty friend of yours."  
  
Grinning, Sano did a sort of cocky nod to his aged neighbor and sauntered off. _Man, she has a weird sense of humor,_ he mused. She was really good at acting, too; he'd actually believed her when she'd given that ominous prophecy - well, for a little bit, anyway.  
  
However, the thought of acting brought up an issue that caused a falter in Sanosuke's confident stride: How the hell was he going to act around Kenshin and the others now that... well, you know what. In all his little fantasies, the issue had never really come up. _Another shining example of you legendary forethought, dumbass,_ Sano thought. _God, I am an idiot._ To tell the truth, he hadn't the slightest clue in post-sex etiquette. About the only thing he was sure about was that Kenshin probably wanted to keep the whole incident on the down-low for now, especially around Kaoru.  
  
Ai, Kaoru... Memory of Jou-chan sent a pang of guilt through Sanosuke. Though before he'd sometimes felt a little resentment towards her, Kaoru was still Sano's friend. He couldn't help but feel like he was betraying her - after all, it was no secret she was hopelessly infatuated with Kenshin. How would he look her in the face now, after what he and Kenshin had done? _Just... just act like nothing happened,_ Sanosuke advised himself. Pathetic advice, but it was the only thing he could think of.  
  
By this time he'd reached the dojo, but before he even stepped foot on the grounds he knew immediately something was wrong. The front gate was wide open; Jou-chan never left the gate open. Uneasy but not sure what to be worried _about_, Sanosuke passed through the tall gateway and stood in the middle of the grounds, looking around for his friends. A few seconds' searching revealed Kaoru and Yahiko sitting outside the training hall. Yahiko looked up with wide, alarmed eyes at the sound of Sano's arrival, but Kaoru simply continued to stare listlessly at her hands resting in her lap.  
  
"Yahiko? Jou-chan? Where's Kenshin?" Sano asked, not even bothering to remove his shoes as he hopped up onto the raised walkway. Yahiko stared up at Sano, and for a bit it seemed like he was struggling to formulate words, but for some reason could not utter them.  
  
Sanosuke could feel the precursors of panic tugging at him. Something was _definitely_ wrong. "What happened?" he demanded, kneeling down to meet his distressed friends' eyes.  
  
"Hmph. Late, as usual," a haughty voice sneered behind him.  
  
Jumping to his feet and whirling around, Sano was confronted with the dark, lean figure of Hajime Saito as the policeman stepped out from the shadows of the interior of the training hall. "You!" he snarled. "What the hell are _you_ doing here? Where's Kenshin?"  
  
Saito gave Sanosuke a condescending look, as if he couldn't believe the younger man's idiocy. He fished a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, saying, "If you had been here earlier, you'd know. The Battousai was arrested. For attempting to blow up the Department of Internal Affairs."  
  
Sano didn't say anything for the longest time, and for a while Saito thought the moronic chicken-head hadn't understood what he was implying. Then he noticed that Sanosuke's face was turning the most fascinating shade of red, and Saito could quite literally _see_ the anger building up inside him. Glancing down, the policeman was slightly alarmed to see that Sano had clenched his fists so tightly that his nails had punctured the skin of his palm, and blood dribbled out between his fingers. As Sanosuke's body began to tremble slightly with rage, Saito was reminded of a volcano on the verge of erupting; he was quite intrigued to see what happened when this one did.  
  
Finally, Sano went off. "_FUCK!_" he exploded, slamming his fist through the nearby _shoji_-screen. Yahiko and Kaoru couldn't help but cower; they'd never seen Sanosuke look so _dangerous_ before. "Fucking _idiot!!_" he roared, though whom Sano was referring to was unknown. Finding that the paper screens didn't give enough resistance, he pivoted on his heel and drove his fist into a wooden support pillar, pulverizing it into little splinters and causing the whole building to tremble hazardously. "Why the hell didn't you stop him?!" he hollered at Saito, who stood calmly throughout this whole tirade. "You're a fucking _cop!_"  
  
"Himura confessed of his own free will," Saito said. "There was nothing I could do to stop it, even if I had wanted to."  
  
At this, Sano's lips pulled back from his teeth in an unearthly snarl of pure rage, and he brought back his fist as if to hit the policeman.  
  
"What, you're going to hit me?" Saito scoffed. "What will that accomplish? How will that bring your precious friend back to you?"  
  
"Shut the fuck _up!!_" Sanosuke roared, but instead of hitting Saito he slammed his fist through the wooden walkway, creating a jagged hole several inches in diameter. When he withdrew his hand, a splinter of wood no less than two inches long was imbedded in the back of his hand, between the second and third bone. With a growl of disgust Sano yanked the bloody shard out and tossed it aside, then turned and walked towards the open gate.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Saito asked.  
  
"I'm not gonna let anybody take Kenshin away from me."  
  
"_Idiot!_"  
  
Sanosuke froze in mid-stride, the bold kanji for "aku" on his back trembling.  
  
"Do you think you can just barge in with your fists swinging and demand they release the Battousai? You don't even know where he's being held." Saito laughed once, humorlessly. "Just because _you're_ a moron doesn't mean that you can't let someone who actually _has_ brains do the thinking for you."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Sano demanded, whirling to face Saito. "And who's gonna help me? _You?_ Why would _you_ have any reason to help Kenshin?"  
  
"Because," Saito sneered, "I'd derive great pleasure in bringing about that bastard Fushiyuuki's downfall. And besides," he looked down at Kaoru, who stared back with large, watery eyes, "part of the reason I became a policeman in the first place was the same reason that the Battousai became a wanderer - to help the innocent."  
  
"Touching speech," Sanosuke snarled, not impressed in the least. "So what do you plan to do, O almighty genius?"  
  
The cigarette hanging from his thin lips, Saito reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pen and small pad of paper. Flipping to a blank page and writing something down, he said, "I may not be the most popular policeman on the force but I still have some influence. As soon as I learn where the Battousai is being held, I'll arrange for you to pay him a little visit. Give him this."  
  
He ripped out the page and handed it to Sano, who read it briefly and gave him a puzzled look. "A poem?"  
  
"It's a code used to relay sensitive messages between assassins and their employers during the Revolution," Saito explained none-too-patiently. "When you arrive at the prison you will no doubt be searched. To anybody who finds that paper it will seem like nothing more than a casual poem. However, the Battousai will understand its meaning." He stepped down to the ground and brushed by Sanosuke on his way to the gate. "Try not to loose it."  
  
"Hold on," Sano said suddenly, causing Saito to pause in the doorway. "What are you gonna be doing while I go on this little field trip?"  
  
Saito sighed and spoke slowly, as if explaining to a small child. "The officer who arrested Himura, Inspector Fushiyuuki, has been suspected for some time of embezzling funds, taking bribes, and the like. I plan to find the proof."  
  
"What good will that do?"  
  
"Fushiyuuki essentially blackmailed the Battousai for the answer he wanted; we're going to beat him at his own game."  
  
The explanation seemed to satisfy Sanosuke, and Saito had turned and was about to leave when he said suddenly, "What am I supposed to do until you get this whole thing arranged?"  
  
Saito made no effort to hide his irritation. "Lay an egg, for all I care," he snarled, and before the chicken-head could ask him any more questions he left, leaving Sanosuke desperately searching for something - anything - to throw at the egotistical son of a bitch. After a few moments he gave up and settled for making an obscene gesture at the policeman's receding form before returning to Kaoru and Yahiko.  
  
"Do you think we can trust him?" Yahiko asked, still nervous lest Sanosuke freak out again. "Yeah. Unfortunately." Sano habitually sucked on the puncture wound on the back of his hand, examined it for a moment, and shook the injured hand gingerly. "Ow," he said quietly.  
  
"Here. Let me get something to bandage that up," Kaoru said softly, rising to her feet.  
  
"Thanks, Jou-chan. And... uh... sorry for busting up the place." He was feeling much calmer now that he knew there was some sort of plan to get Kenshin out of jail, though he hated the roundabout approach almost as much as he hated Saito. If things ended up taking too long for Sano's liking, he might end up making a few arrangements with Katsu...  
  
"May I...?" Kaoru said, interrupting Sano's scheming. She had returned with some antibiotic salve and bandages, courtesy of Dr. Gensai on his last visit. Taking Sanosuke's large hand in her own, she proceeded to apply the salve and gently bandaged the wound. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she asked, "Sanosuke?"  
  
For some reason it took a few tries for Sano to get his voice working. "Jou-chan?"  
  
"You will bring Kenshin back... won't you?" Kaoru looked up at Sano with eyes so filled of hope and longing that it made him sick with guilt. Here he had selfishly taken away the thing that she treasured most in the world, and yet she had _no idea_ that Kenshin was no longer hers alone. _Oh God, he thought, what have I done?_   
  
He flashed her his most encouraging smile. "Yeah. Don't worry - Kenshin is still ours."  
  
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I really liked writing about the part where Sano freaked out. ^_^ I can't punch stuff in real life, so this is my only reprieve. 


	7. Chapter seven

More haiku --  
  
You all know the drill:  
The characters are not mine;  
Read and review, please!  
^_^  
  
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Kenshin didn't know where he was. The guard sitting in the back of the police wagon with him had inexplicably blindfolded Kenshin when they'd reached their destination, and had wordlessly steered him into a building. From what Kenshin could gather through his other senses, the structure he was in was large and made of stone, surrounded by an expansive courtyard - in the front, anyway. After several minutes of being forcibly navigated through long corridors, Kenshin was finally brought into a room and made to stand in one spot. Only then was the blindfold removed.  
  
Blinking, Kenshin found himself standing before a wooden Western-style table, behind which Fushiyuuki sat, reading what appeared to be a handwritten letter. Kenshin recognized the document, which he'd witnessed Katsu write the night before; it was a fabricated testimony detailing Kenshin's alleged attempt to destroy the Department of Internal Affairs.  
  
"Please excuse the secretive method of your arrival, Himura-_san_," Fushiyuuki said, his eyes skittering over the dark kanji on the paper before him. "It's just that we find the prisoners are less likely to attempt an escape if they aren't able to see any of the complex besides their cell."  
  
"Where am I?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"I'm afraid I'm not at the liberty to tell you that." {Author's translation: too lazy to research the history of Japan's **cough** penal system ^_^;;} Fushiyuuki looked up and smiled unpleasantly. "But I can tell you that it's one of the highest-security prisons in Japan. I suppose you could call it the _Chateau d'If_ of Japan."  
  
Kenshin gave his subjugator a blank look.  
  
"Have you ever read The Count of Monte Cristo, Himura-_san?_"  
  
"No."  
  
"I must say that I am quite a fan of foreign literature, and that book is one of my favorites. We can't let _you_ read it though; it might give you the wrong ideas." Fushiyuuki laughed as if he'd made some exquisite joke, though Kenshin didn't understand what was so funny. "But enough of this idle chatter," Fushiyuuki said finally. "The reason we brought you here was to ask a few more questions of you - to make sure we have all the facts straight, you see."  
  
Interrogation didn't frighten Kenshin in the least, for he'd taken the time to memorize every word of Katsu's "testimony." Of course, he'd have to change the wording around so it didn't sound like he was recalling a prewritten script from memory, but that would be easy enough. What would be difficult was making sure Fushiyuuki didn't loose his temper. He knew that if Fushiyuuki were content with Kenshin's self-confession, then he wouldn't even bother with this facade of a questioning - he'd just take Kenshin's word for it and throw him in jail. Fushiyuuki was looking for something from Kenshin - a slip-up? An inconsistency in his story? - though _why_ still eluded the former assassin.  
  
Throughout the questioning, he watched both Fushiyuuki and the guard who brought him in carefully for clues. However, the guard - an outstandingly boring man with a bland, unremarkable face and inscrutable features - remained unwaveringly impassive until Kenshin eventually ignored him altogether and focused entirely on Fushiyuuki. What he saw was not comforting.  
  
Though Kenshin remained as guardedly polite as possible considering the circumstances, he was somewhat worried to see that the short policeman grew increasingly irritated with each answer Kenshin gave. Actually, it was a little amusing because Kenshin could roughly gauge how angry Fushiyuuki was by how much a large vein just visible beneath his sparse black hair popped out. When it seemed he was on the verge of giving himself an aneurysm, Fushiyuuki slammed his hands on the table and snarled angrily, _"Do you think you can outwit me?!"_  
  
Kenshin's feet and legs ached from standing stock-still on the cold stone floor and he was on the verge of laughing hysterically from stress and the ridiculous sight of this short man snorting and flaring up with rage, but he managed to remain unruffled. "No sir, that I do not."  
  
Fushiyuuki glared at Kenshin for a few more moments, but suddenly he regained his composure; the vein on his head subsided. "No, of course not. Even if you did think so, it wouldn't be true - otherwise you wouldn't standing before me right now."  
  
Kenshin blinked once in reply.  
  
The policeman grinned, enjoying himself quite thoroughly. "After all, how can you protect your friends when you're in Japan's maximum-security prison?"  
  
Immediately Kenshin's heart leapt into his throat. _Oh god... he's_ - He mentally slapped himself. _No, don't panic. He can't do anything. Saito will protect Kaoru and the others, remember?_ Kenshin grabbed tight of this notion and didn't let go, letting it slow his racing heart and smooth his temporarily frayed thoughts. He shouldn't let himself get frazzled like that, it would only make things more difficult -  
  
"Namaka!" Fushiyuuki barked suddenly.  
  
"Sir?" the guard that Kenshin had ignored until now said; it was the first word he'd spoken since Kenshin had seen him.  
  
Adopting a conspiratorial air that made Kenshin shiver, Fushiyuuki said, "You saw that pretty girl who was so _terribly_ distressed when we arrested Himura-san, didn't you?"  
  
_What is he getting at?_ Kenshin thought.   
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Fushiyuuki grinned, terribly reminiscent of a hungry wolf. "I'll bet you'd like to find out what she tastes like, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Yes sir." Namaka answered in the same deadpan tone as he had before, but the effect was the same.  
  
_He wouldn't..._ Kenshin gritted his teeth so hard it made his head throb. _Ignore him. He's just trying to anger you._  
  
"Yes..." Fushiyuuki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think I'd like to have a go at her as well. My wife has gotten rather boring as of late." He looked at Kenshin, that awful smile still plastered across his face. "We could tell you all about it when we get back, Himura-_san_. How would you like that?"  
  
A red mist was beginning to cloud Kenshin's vision, and his hands began to twitch spasmodically of their own accord. He clenched them into fists to stop the trembling. _Don't listen to him... Saito will protect Kaoru..._ It was getting harder and harder to listen to reason...  
  
"And what about that Sagara guy you were so willing to take the blame for, Himura-_san?_ What horribly unfortunate accident will befall him?"  
  
Namaka blinked a few times, the only suggestion that he was thinking at all. "_Yakuza_, sir."  
  
"Excuse me?" Fushiyuuki asked, genuinely surprised that his underling had spoken without being prompted first.  
  
"Sagara was once a hit man for hire. He earned quite a reputation for himself. No doubt there are several _yakuza_ who are anxious for revenge against him."  
  
Fushiyuuki laughed. "You don't speak much, Namaka, but when you do it's always something valuable." He stared off into the distance, as if seeing some grand vision. "I can see the headlines now: 'Dismembered Body Found in Tokyo Bay,' or perhaps, 'Gruesome Death Attributed to Yakuza.'" Fushiyuuki winked conspiratorially at Kenshin. "Men all across Tokyo will be crossing their legs a little higher when they finish reading that article." He laughed at his own divine wit.  
  
Kenshin knew he shouldn't have done what he did next, but in that instant he literally lost control. Uttering a visceral roar of pure rage, he lunged at Fushiyuuki. How dare the bastard threaten his friends! He was going to rip that son of a bitch's throat out -  
  
Suddenly, Kenshin found himself on the ground, gasping for air. He knew what had happened - he'd been hit in the solar plexus - but that did not make it any easier to breathe, nor did it lessen the shock at the speed in which Namaka had attacked. This unremarkable man, with a face so dull you'd wonder if there was anything unique about him at all, moved at a speed which was impressive even by the high standards of _Hiten mitsurugi-ryu._ Clearly Kenshin had underestimated him.  
  
Fushiyuuki looked down disdainfully as Kenshin struggled for oxygen. "You see, Himura," he said, "I made a proposition to you - a fair one, might I add. And yet you insult my intelligence by trying to _fool_ me with this pathetic facade?"  
  
"......"  
  
Taking the forged testimony, Fushiyuuki crumpled it in his fist and angrily tossed it aside. "I will make you suffer for this insult, Himura." He stepped over Kenshin's prone form (he'd since regained control of his breathing but was unsure whether to try and stand) and said to Namaka, "I do believe Himura tried to attack an officer. Please deal out the punishment accordingly."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
The first blows landed before Fushiyuuki even left the room. All will to fight back having left him, Kenshin brought his still-shackled hands up instinctively to protect his face, but this only left his stomach open to attack. When he curled protectively around his stomach, Namaka kicked him in the back. The policeman was unyielding and showed no mercy; it was as if he was hitting a sack of rice.  
  
Finally, Kenshin was hauled to his feet and half-dragged from the room. As he was led down the passageways, he couldn't help but focus on the smallest, most trivial of details. For example, he noticed that on ever third stride Namaka would step squarely on a seam between two stones in the floor. He was utterly fascinated by the shadows cast by the kerosene lamps on the walls, and for two full minutes he pondered the tickling feeling of the blood from his nose running down his chin. This was a defense mechanism; focus on the trivial in the hopes of forgetting more disturbing thoughts or, as in this case, physical and emotional pain. It didn't work too well.  
  
As Kenshin was shoved into his small cell and the heavy iron door was closed behind him, he suddenly noticed that he was still without one of his socks. This was indescribably funny for some bizarre reason, and he probably would have started laughing uncontrollably if his face didn't hurt so much. So instead he stopped his bleeding nose with one hand - thank god nothing was broken - and sat on the narrow wooden bench bolted to the far wall, trying to comfort himself with the knowledge that Saito would use all his skills to protect Kaoru, Yahiko, Megumi and the others, and that Sano wasn't anything near a pushover either. They'd be able to take care of themselves. At least... Kenshin hoped they would.  
  
He rested his head against the damp stone wall, pulled his hand away and examined the blood that had leaked onto his fingers. He sniffed once experimentally and was met with a metallic taste in the back of his throat. Despite himself, a half-smile flickered briefly across his face. His friends had always chastised him for trying to take all the world's problems on his shoulders. Now he couldn't do a thing about even his own problems, though he doubted they were very happy with the change.  
  
There was just no pleasing some people.  
  
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Har-dee-har-harr... that wasn't very funny. 


	8. Chapter eight

The first half is more Kaoru-crap (I really don't like her - can you tell?!). Second half is.... uh.... you can decide.  
  
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_The sun is taunting me,_ Kaoru thought, looking up at that accursed burning orb. She was positive of it. It seemed to hang, unmoving, in the air, dragging each day out until every minute lasted an agonizing eternity. And yet, when she looked at the calendar, Kaoru was always surprised to see how many days had passed since Kenshin was taken from her. It seemed like only yesterday; it also seemed like years had passed.  
  
Saito had told her and Yahiko what was going on, of course, before Sanosuke had even arrived at the dojo; Sano's violent reaction to the news somehow cemented in her mind that it was the truth, though Kaoru didn't know how she could possibly doubt Saito in the first place - why would he lie about something like that?  
  
Fiddling with the hem of a _yukata_ she was supposed to be mending, Kaoru listened to the sounds of Yahiko and Sanosuke talking about something or another as they cleaned up around the dojo. Sano had insisted on moving in with them the day Kenshin was arrested - as an added surprise he also insisted that he earn his keep. Also, Saito spent so much time at the dojo (when he wasn't occupied elsewhere, that is) that he might as well have moved in. Frankly, Kaoru could have done without his presence but it reassured her that Kenshin trusted the officer with his friends' safety.  
  
Kenshin... Now Kaoru knew why he had been acting so strangely. To face such an impossible decision on his own, with no help, no counsel - it must have been pure hell for him... And all that time Kaoru had wallowed in her own selfish thoughts...  
  
She shook her head vehemently. _No._ She wasn't going to get caught in that cycle again. Kaoru had promised herself that she wouldn't let herself get all hung up on petty emotions at a time like this - it wasn't helping anybody. She attacked the torn sleeve of the _yukata_ with a new vengeance, manipulating the sliver-thin needle with the same proficiency that she handled a _shinai_. Who said women wouldn't benefit from studying _kenjutsu?_  
  
When she was halfway done repairing the tear, the _shoji_-screen was flung aside as Yahiko burst impatiently into the room with his usual lack of manners, causing Kaoru to accidentally prick herself on the finger with the needle. "Kaoru," Yahiko demanded, annoyed, "what are you doing cooped up inside on a nice day like this? Anyway, dinner's ready. I made it myself." The boy puffed out his chest with pride at this great accomplishment.  
  
Kaoru tore her eyes away from the mesmerizing red droplet that had formed on the tip of her finger and looked up at the sun. It hovered just above the rooftops, though Kaoru was convinced that just a few minutes before she'd finished a quick lunch. Had so much time passed already? "The sun is playing tricks on me again," she said, smiling humorlessly.  
  
"What?" Yahiko asked, giving his _sensei_ a concerned look. He remembered how poorly she'd reacted to Kenshin's leaving for Kyoto, and he was just waiting for her to suddenly collapse in a blubbering heap any moment. So far she hadn't, but now he was beginning to worry that maybe she'd completely snapped. "Kaoru... are you... okay?"  
  
"Yes." She could tell Yahiko wasn't convinced. "Oh, don't listen to me. Just a silly little game I was playing."  
  
"Uh... okay..." After making sure that Kaoru was following him, Yahiko headed back to the dining area, where Sano was waiting. The three sat down and began to eat.  
  
With no work - real or otherwise - to distract them, the three friends fell into an uncomfortable silence. They had been dancing delicately around the subject of Kenshin for several days, no one being willing to bring up the topic despite the fact that it was obviously on everybody's minds. The tension in the room grew like a balloon filled with too much air until it became too much and finally burst. Yahiko slammed his bowl of rice down and said, "I just don't get it! How the hell could they take Kenshin like that after all he's done to help the Meiji government?!" He glared at Sanosuke and Kaoru, as if daring them to provide a reasonable answer.  
  
Sano laughed unpleasantly, little more than a derisive snort; Kaoru was pretty sure he was slightly drunk, as he had been much of the time lately. "You know that idea about democracy, where everyone is equal?" he asked, staring fixedly at the bottom of his bowl. "The Meiji government is like that, except only when it comes to criminals. No matter how helpful and loyal to the government Kenshin's been to the government before, they'll treat him equal to any other villain."  
  
Yahiko opened his mouth and was about to respond with another angry outburst when there was a soft knock on the door. Being the closest, Yahiko leaned over and slid the screen aside without getting out of his seat. The silhouette had at first led them to believe it was Ayame who had for some reason wandered over without Suzume, but upon opening the door Yahiko saw that is was in fact an unfamiliar girl much older than Ayame, but had looked younger because of her shortness. "It's not polite to come marching up to someone's door and interrupting them when they're eating, you know," said Yahiko, giving her a condescending look.  
  
"Yahiko!" Kaoru scolded, shocked by his rudeness. She quickly rose and went over to where the girl stood, shifting from foot to foot nervously. "Yes? Is there something you need?"  
  
"Uh..." The girl fished through her pastel _kimono,_ finally withdrawing a folded piece of paper from an inner pocket. Instead of handing it directly to Kaoru, however, she peered inside and spotted Sanosuke. Holding out the paper, she said to him, "A tall policeman told me to give this to you."  
  
"How d'ya know to give it to me?" Sano asked even as he rose to take Saito's letter - for that's obviously what it was - from her.  
  
"Emm..." She looked away sheepishly. "He said... he said, 'You'll know the moron when you see him because his hair looks just like a mangy rooster's.' That's exactly what he said," she concluded, giving Sano an earnest look.  
  
"Okay," Kaoru interrupted with a false cheeriness, "thank you so very much! Here, take this." She gave the girl a coin and shooed her away before Sano could blow up in the poor kid's face, since it was pretty obvious that he wasn't too pleased at being identified with a "mangy rooster."  
  
"Man, Saito never misses a chance to rip on you, does he?" Yahiko remarked, giving Sanosuke a sideways glance to see how he'd react.  
  
Sano just gave the boy a dirty look and read the brief note. "It's about damn time!" he exclaimed when he'd finished. Without further ado he stood and made for the exit.  
  
"Where are you going?" the incorrigible Yahiko asked.  
  
"Too see him," Sano replied without pausing. There was no need to explain who "he" was.  
  
"What, _now?_"  
  
"Yes, _now._ Would you like me to wait three to five business days?"  
  
Kaoru watched Sano's back as he strode away. She knew that she should call him back, press some small token into his hands with the words, "Give this to Kenshin for me," or, "This is for him," or something romantic and cryptic like that. At the very least she should give Sano some verbal message to be relayed to the one she longed so deeply to see. After all, isn't that what any devoted woman would do if she were unable to see her loved one? Yahiko seemed to think so; he kept giving her strange, expectant looks. But she did not call out, and in a matter of seconds Sanosuke was gone, leaving her to sit in front of her meal with no intention of finishing it.  
  
O_O O_O O_O  
  
The warden peered through the small barred window that was the only portal between Kenshin's cell and the outside world. "Excuse me, but you have a visitor, Himura-_san_," he said, and then disappeared from view. That annoyed Kenshin - the warden's politeness, that is. Despite the fact that for all practical purposes he was a condemned criminal, the guy insisted on treating Kenshin with great respect that bordered on a sort of reverence. Maybe it was because he'd heard about all the stuff Kenshin had done for the government before, or he'd heard tales of the deadly Battousai from the revolution. Also, when ever he delivered Kenshin's meals the warden would look at the ex-assassin and shake his head in wonder, as if to say, _Of all the people..._  
  
_Get over it,_ Kenshin wanted to say. _These things happen._ But, of course, he never said anything.  
  
"He's in here," Kenshin heard the warden say, though from where he sat at the far wall he couldn't see who the guard was talking to. There was the sound of footsteps receding; that would be the warden returning to his little table to read.  
  
Then came another voice: "Oi, Guy-Who-Holds-All-The-Keys, aren't you gonna let me in?" It was Sano's.  
  
"Sorry, can't. Against regulations."  
  
"Well, then could I get five minutes alone?"  
  
There was a pause, then a great sigh - the warden wanted to make it _quite clear_ that even though it was against regulations and a major inconvenience on his part, he'd comply to the request. A shrill screech rang out as the door to the cell bloc was opened, then it slammed shut again. Kenshin heard all this with a strange detachment; he was still hung up on the sound of Sano's voice. It couldn't really be him; it wasn't possible... But there he was, peering in at Kenshin, and he did not look at all pleased.  
  
"Oi, no fair sitting back there where I can't reach you!" Sano hollered. "Get up here so I can punch you in the face for being such a jackass!"  
  
Kenshin couldn't help but smile. _As genteel as always, I see._ He rose stiffly to his feet and ever so slowly made his way to the iron door of the cell, one hand brushing against the damp stone wall for balance.  
  
"Now I know why you were all weird that night," Sano continued. "You knew that I'd get pissed off when you took the blame for me! And what's more, you broke your promise that you'd never leave without telling me - again!" His face was beginning to turn a slight shade of red; he was really working himself up. "But what's worse of all is that you slept with me because you thought it wouldn't make me feel as bad when you ditched us!"  
  
"I didn't need to hear that, you queer!" a rough voice called out from one of the other cells.  
  
"Shut the hell up, asswipe!" Sanosuke snarled, then he rounded on Kenshin once more. "Goddamn it, have you ever _oh my god what happened to you?!_" This sudden change occurred when Kenshin finally stepped close enough for the dim lanterns to illuminate his face. Actually, Kenshin had no idea what he looked like, though he had to assume it was pretty bad. One of his eyes had swollen a bit, and it hurt to touch his face even slightly, the bruising was so bad.  
  
However, his startling appearance only gave Sano something new to rant about; he was on a roll and wasn't going to stop for anything now. "And what the hell is this?" he demanded, jabbing a finger between the bars of the window and making Kenshin recoil protectively. "You could take on half the people here and not break a sweat! How the hell did you get fucked up like that?"  
  
"The _other_ half jumped me, that they did," Kenshin replied, hoping his jovial attitude was contagious and that Sano would calm down.  
  
The actual effect was quite the opposite. "Quit the bullshit," Sano hissed bringing his face as close as possible to Kenshin's. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?"  
  
"A maximum-security prison?"  
  
Sano growled in frustration. Since when was Kenshin so damn _annoying?_ "'Prison' my ass! This is just where they keep people while the executioners sharpen their blades! Do you know what the penalty for treason is? Beheading! You're going to _die._" Though he said no more, the unsaid statement was obvious: _I'm not going to let that happen._  
  
"Sano..." Kenshin rubbed the nape of his neck - an old nervous habit. "I know exactly what's going to happen to me, that I do. I know you don't like it, but there's nothing you can do now, that there is not. Which I am grateful for, that I am." Again, the final sentence was passed silently between them: _Please understand, I'm doing this because I love you._  
  
Surprisingly, Sanosuke smiled - the first sign of an emotion other than complete outrage. "That's where you're wrong," he said, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Saito's got this political mumbo-jumbo plan figured out to force Fushiyuuki to let you free. And in case that doesn't work I've got something worked out with Katsu, too."  
  
Instead of being elated, as Sano had hoped, a look of concern and even fear grew over Kenshin's face. "No, Sano," he said firmly. "You can't. I won't let you risk your life for me - "  
  
"Who said I was risking it for you?" Sano interrupted.  
  
Kenshin, struck dumb by surprise, stared at his friend for a moment.  
  
Sanosuke grinned again, this time with a trace of his former mischievousness. "I'm in this only for _me._" When Kenshin remained silent, he elaborated: "You didn't think I'd be content with only one go, did you? Hell, I've been spoiled - I'll never be satisfied with another guy besides you as long as I live." He leaned forward and kissed Kenshin tenderly. It was rather awkward, having to navigate between the thick iron bars set in the little square portal that separated them, and the end effect was rather unromantic, but it was enough to make both of them ache with longing.  
  
When their lips finally parted, Sano fished the little poem-code out of his pocket and slipped it between the bars to Kenshin. "Here. That jerk Saito wanted me to give you this," he said, his voice slightly breathless with passion. "You know, I'm still mad at you."  
  
Kenshin was about to respond when the warden returned, signaling the end of their rendezvous. He watched as Sano turned and walked back down the corridor, pausing when he reached the guard sitting at the little table and reading a well-thumbed book. "Oi, Man-With-The-Keys - do you mind if I punch you in the face?"  
  
"Wha -?" was all the warden was able to utter before Sano's fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling.  
  
"Thanks," Sanosuke said to the semiconscious man as he opened the door to leave. "I've been needing to get that out of my system for days."  
  
Shaking his head, Kenshin looked down and struggled to read what was written on the paper in the dim light. Translated, the three-line poem said: _Reinforcements en route. Hold current position. Await further orders._  
  
Oooh, great. Kenshin didn't know what he would have done without those instructions.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
I know that was pretty pointless. I just needed an excuse to get Kenshin and Sano together again for a little bit. 


	9. Chapter nine

You know what? I realized that Saito doesn't really _do_ anything in this story. He's just there to piss Sano off. Which is cool, cuz he's still the biggest bad-ass ever! We love you, Saito!! (I'd huggle him right about now, but I'm afraid I'd loose a couple appendages in the process...)  
  
------------------------------  
  
Saito was working behind his desk - his least favorite aspect of police work - when one of the rookie cops came in and announced that someone was requesting his audience. He was grateful for the interruption at first, but when Saito found out _who_ wanted to see him he bit his tongue. The tall policeman fished into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Why was it whenever this moron showed up Saito had a sudden urge for a smoke?  
  
Just as Saito held a lighted match to the end of his cig, the door burst open and Sanosuke charged in with classic eschewing of protocol. He took a folded newspaper and threw it onto Saito's desk. The policeman took a long drag on his cigarette, looked at the paper, then Sano, then back to the paper. "Yes...?"  
  
"Read it!" Sanosuke demanded, gesturing violently at one of the headlines. "'Former Imperialist Charged with Treason.'"  
  
Again, Saito's gaze shifted from the paper to Sano and back again. Finally, he said, "Congratulations. You can read."  
  
Sano made an odd, strangled sound in his throat. "It's about Kenshin. He's going to be executed in _four days._"  
  
Instead of answering right away, Saito leaned back in his western-style chair and tapped the ashes from his cigarette onto the floor. "Well," he said at last, "that was quick. They didn't even pretend to give him a trial. They must be anxious to wrap this thing up."  
  
"_That's not important!_" Sano roared. "What the hell do you plan to do about it?! What happened to that masterful plan of yours that was supposed to get him out?"  
  
Taking another prolonged drag, Saito exhaled smoke at the infuriated fighter-for-hire and said, "You moron. You don't have any idea how complex the government circumstances are. Politicians throughout the system have corruption honed to an art form, and it won't be easy to find the information we need to force Fushiyuuki's hand. I've been searching as hard as I can for evidence, but this is a tricky situation. These things take time."  
  
"We don't have time," Sano hissed. "_Four. Days._ That's how much Kenshin has left to live."  
  
"I know."  
  
The two fell into silence, since Sanosuke was obviously waiting for Saito to say something but he wasn't inclined to just then. Finally, Sano stood and turned to leave, muttering, "Fine. To hell with you."  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Saito asked nonchalantly.  
  
"You asked that question before, and the answer's the same as before."  
  
"Don't be rash," Saito warned in an almost paternal tone. Almost.  
  
Sano paused in his trek to the door and whirled to face Saito. "'Don't be rash?!'" he repeated. "What the hell do you expect me to do? Just sit there with my thumb up my ass? Being 'rash' is the only way to get something actually _done_."  
  
Saito knew when to withdraw from an argument he couldn't win; such was the case here. Shrugging, he leaned back in his chair again and said, "Fine. It's your life at stake, not mine."  
  
"Thanks for the words of encouragement," Sano growled, and without further ado he stormed out, slamming the door behind him for a final effect and causing a picture of Saito with some famous dignitary or another to tumble from its perch on a shelf.  
  
Ignoring the photograph's plight, Saito picked up the newspaper his hotheaded ally had brought and read the article pertaining to Kenshin's imminent demise. It was actually quite brief, giving little more than the date of the execution and what Kenshin was being executed for. The reporter who wrote the article didn't find it important enough to mention the Battousai's name; no doubt a bit of political pressure had lent itself to the piece's succinct nature.   
  
Sighing, Saito absently burned a hole in the paper with the glowing end of his cig. He'd spoken only the truth in the face of Sanosuke's impatient wrath, though it didn't seem to comfort either of them. Make no mistake - Saito wasn't selling himself short. He was confident that he would find the evidence needed to incriminate Fushiyuuki... given enough time.  
  
He sighed again and proceeded to burn a series of perfectly circular holes in the cheap paper. Unfortunately the rooster-head was right; they _didn't_ have time. Not enough of it, anyways. Saito had already called in a few favors from various individuals on both sides of the law, but nobody had any relevant information.  
  
When verbal investigation had proved unsuccessful, Saito greased a few pockets with yen in order to gain access to Fushiyuuki's office, hoping that the inspector's meticulous habits would carry over to his illegal activities. However, despite spending as much time searching the office as he dared, Saito found nothing. No files, no records, no notes - not so much as a goddamn doodle.  
  
Needless to say, it was a bit frustrating.  
  
Saito opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of Bourbon and a glass. As he pulled out the stopper and poured himself a glassful of the molasses-colored drink, Saito mused about how even though the foreign liquor didn't nearly compare to _sake_ in terms of taste, when you wanted something with a kick those Westerners really knew their alcohol.  
  
He took a sip of the fiery drink and absently swirled it around, watching the light refract off the heavy glass. Maybe - just maybe - Sanosuke was correct on two counts. Perhaps acting rashly _was_ the only way to get something accomplished.  
  
O_O O_O O_O  
  
Katsu gazed across the low table at his friend. He'd expected Sanosuke would come to see him eventually - there was no way he couldn't with Kenshin locked away. Still... Katsu had hoped that Sano would be at least somewhat rational in his approach. Unfortunately, one doesn't always get what one hopes for.  
  
"Then you'll help me?" Sano asked.  
  
Sighing, Katsu nodded. "Come back the same time tomorrow and I'll have what you need ready." A lie; he had extra bombs stored away in a safe place and could give them to Sano right then, but he wanted to delay giving his friend anything potentially lethal in his present condition. He hoped that by this time tomorrow Sanosuke would have calmed down, perhaps even reconsidered his decision.  
  
Sanosuke frowned. They were cutting it way too close for his liking, but he knew there was no way to change Katsu's answer. He made some vague statement expressing his gratitude and left; recent events had squelched any desire for Sano to socialize. The walk back to the dojo was shrouded in a haze of turbulent thoughts and emotions. The small, rarely-listened-to voice of reason sitting in the back of his mind argued that what he was planning was suicidal and he was being an idiot and he was in all likelihood going to die, and how would that help Kenshin? Sano couldn't do anything if he was dead.  
  
But frankly, Sano didn't care. So what if he was entering a no-win situation? It was better than just sitting there, twiddling his thumbs. Saito may preach about the precariousness of the situation and how these things must be handled delicately, but in Sanosuke's eyes he was just being a hypocrite. The motto that Saito once lived by was "_Aku. Soku. Zan._" Kill. Evil. Instantly. That was exactly the opposite of what he was doing now, pussyfooting around the situation like a damn bureaucrat. It pissed Sano off.  
  
He slid open the door to the little room he was staying in at Kaoru's place and stepped inside, not even bothering to remove his shoes. For lack of anything constructive to do, he paced the room like a caged tiger, his hands twitching with anticipation. This, he knew, would be the hardest - waiting for the moment to act, knowing that time was of the essence, but unable to hasten the arrival of his cue. It didn't help that Sano wasn't exactly famous for his patience.  
  
Sanosuke walked from the door, to his _futon_, to the brazier, then repeated the cycle several times over. At one point Yahiko stuck his head in to request Sano's presence for one reason or another, but he wisely retreated once he saw Sano's mood. Like the abovementioned tiger, it was dangerous to disturb Sano at that moment.  
  
This incessant pacing continued long into the night. Sano didn't have a clock of any sort, so he had no idea what time it was when prudence finally won out and he lay down fully clothed on his _futon_. Not surprisingly, he didn't get an ounce of sleep; instead, he tossed and turned, his eyes scanning the room for something he didn't know he was looking for. In one sense, Sanosuke was glad he didn't have a clock because if he did, then he would inevitably watch the hands move across its face, making the passage of time all the more agonizing.  
  
Dawn had just begun to spread its rosy veil across the sky when Sano deemed it time to return to Katsu's place. Having never undressed the night before, it was quite natural to shirk his morning routine and leave the Kamiya Dojo immediately. The streets were next to deserted in the early morning, which was just as well because Sano probably would have run somebody over and not even noticed in his agitated state.  
  
As was to be expected, Katsu's house was dark when Sanosuke arrived. Unsure of what to do, Sano loitered outside for several minutes until the door opened suddenly and Katsu appeared. "You can stop skulking around out there and come in whenever you want, you know."  
  
Sano shot his friend a "ha-ha-not-funny" look and let himself in. He scanned the room until he spotted several small cylindrical objects sitting on a table. With nary a word Sano walked over and picked up one of the bombs, examining it thoroughly.  
  
"I assume that you wanted these for mainly providing a distraction and slowing down any pursuit, right?" Katsu asked as he closed the door softly but firmly.  
  
Nodding, Sanosuke replied, "Yeah, that's about what I had in mind."  
  
Katsu picked up another one of the explosives and began explaining its finer points. "I designed these specifically for those two purposes. See here?" He pointed at a long, coiled wire attached to the bomb. "It's a trip wire. Pull it, and the bomb explodes. You can rig it up in a doorway as a trap."  
  
As he examined the wire connected to the bomb he was holding, Sano noticed a black residue that came off on his hands when he touched the wire. "What's this black stuff?"  
  
"A little something I invented," Katsu replied, looking a little smug despite himself. "It's a flammable amalgam that I coated over the wire, letting you light it just like a normal fuse. That way you can light it, bugger off, and be in a totally different place by the time it explodes. Perfect for directing attention away from you. Best of all, it'll burn even when underwater, so you don't have to worry about keeping the wires dry."  
  
His friend's ingenuity impressed Sano quite a bit, to say the least. Re-coiling the wire, he said, "Great, these are absolutely perfect. You've really outdone yourself this time, Katsu. How many of these can I take?"  
  
Katsu didn't answer right away. When Sanosuke looked up to see what was the matter, Katsu asked, "Sano... is there any way I can talk you out of doing this?"  
  
Sano smiled grimly. "Have you ever been able to before?"  
  
"Hmn... no, I guess not." He handed Sanosuke a small cloth bag to carry the little metal cylinders in. "I just want to warn you - I used a more-refined form of gunpowder in these than normal - "  
  
"Yeah, I know," Sano interrupted as he transferred the bombs from the table to the bag. "I noticed a while ago that you have a tendency for overkill when it comes to explosives." He stood, slung the filled bag over his shoulder, and opened the door. "Thanks, Katsu. I owe you big time."  
  
"Oh, like you don't already, idiot?"  
  
"Shut up, jerk." Sano stepped out into the rapidly lightening morning and looked back over the threshold at Katsu. Flashing a cocky half-smile, he said, "Catch you on the flip side, my friend."  
  
And then he was gone.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Katsu doesn't do anything either. But that's okay - he doesn't ever do anything in the show, so he's true to character. 


	10. Chapter ten

And now the _real_ action begins. Thank you so very much for putting up with my pointless dribble so far. Let the violence commence!!  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Sano stared up at the formidable stone walls that encircled the prison compound. In order to protect the general public and deter breakouts, the complex was built in a relatively remote forest some distance away from Tokyo, which actually aided Sano in his scheme. For you see, forests meant trees, and trees could be used for both climbing to get over the wall and for concealment. His biggest worry had been sentries posted in the watchtowers placed at regular intervals along the perimeter, but once he arrived that didn't prove to be a problem - the guards were busy looking _in_, towards the compound, instead of out at the forest.  
  
Looking away from the imposing structure, Sano began a trek along the outside of the wall until he found what he was looking for. A massive tree loomed above him, its massive branches reaching out for yards - right up to the outer wall. Setting the cloth bag carefully on the ground, Sanosuke reached up and hoisted himself into the lowermost branches. He stood, poised among the thick beams of twisted wood, keeping a cautious eye on the guards in their watchtowers. Mentally, he picked out a route through the leafy branches. It would be a stretch, but it looked like he'd just make it over.  
  
Sano lowered himself to the ground as silently as possible. Scooping up the bag and its volatile contents, he quickly oriented himself and set off, following the wall from a safe distance. When he judged that he was roughly on the opposite side of the compound from the tree, he stopped again. Now things were going to get a bit more dangerous.  
  
The bombs clanked dully against each other as Sano opened the canvas bag. _Amazing_, he thought, _that something that looks so boring could be so dangerous._ He pulled out three of the dull gray cylinders, fingering their grooved surfaces nervously as he peered back up at the spike-topped walls. Half of him still couldn't believe he was doing this - _actually planning_ to break into a prison. It wasn't too late, a scared little voice said in his head - he could still back out... turn around... walk back to the dojo... forget this crazy idea... forget Kenshin...  
  
Sanosuke crept up to the wall and set the bombs against the lichen-covered stone, walking backwards as he unwound the fuses. Twenty-five feet above him, two blue-uniformed guards armed with rifles peered in a the dusty, expansive grounds surrounding the drab gray building, unaware that two dozen feet below was enough destructive power to snuff out the lives of twenty-fold their number in less than an instant.  
  
Pulling a small box of matches out of his pocket, Sano removed one and struck it, the tangy odor of a lit match reaching his nose as the end of the little wooden stick caught fire. He stared at the little teardrop-shaped flame as if entranced. Once he brought that little bit of heat down and touched it to the fuses, he would be committed - utterly, totally. There would be no backing out, even if it meant his end.  
  
The thought didn't comfort him.  
  
Slowly, shielding the lit end with one hand, Sanosuke lowered the match. He hesitated briefly, as if making sure that he wasn't going to regret this afterwards, then quickly lit the fuses - one, two, three. Not even bothering to check if all the fuses had lit properly, Sano tossed the match aside, grabbed the back of remaining bombs, and bolted through the underbrush. He had no idea how much time he had before the bombs exploded, and he wanted to put as much room between them and him as possible. So he ran, skirting trees, half expecting the explosives to detonate before he'd made it a safe distance away. Fortunately, the fuses were long and relatively slow burning, and he was just a few feet away from his climbing tree when all hell broke loose.  
  
There were two explosions in rapid succession, the second one larger as first one bomb exploded, then the other two detonated simultaneously. Looking up reflexively at the deafening sound, Sano could see bits of dirt, stone, and people fly into the air, followed by a billowing column of smoke. Something flammable - probably a stable, judging by the terrified screams of horses - had been in the blast radius, adding even more to the confusion.  
  
Sano quickly swung up into the branches of the tree with one hand, the other clamped on tightly to the cloth sack. The guards in the towers (wisely) hadn't left their posts despite the calamity unfolding before them; hopefully they would be too distracted to notice Sano as he clambered out along one exceptionally thick branch towards the top of the wall. He inched along carefully, fully aware of the distance between him and the ground. When he stopped right above the spike-tipped walls, the branches had grown almost too thin to hold his weight and swayed and creaked precariously. He looked down. Damn, it had seemed a much shorter distance when he had been looking up.  
  
Gathering his feet beneath him, Sano gave a final check to make sure the guards hadn't noticed him yet. He knew that his element of surprise would disappear as soon as he entered the compound, but it didn't hurt to remain unnoticed as long as possible. As the branch rocked and dipped down once more, Sano steeled his nerves, took a breath, and jumped.  
  
It wasn't much of a jump, really - more of a drop, with just enough of a push-away to keep Sano from impaling himself on the spikes clawing upwards from the tops of the walls. After a few seconds of absolute terror Sano hit the ground, landing on all fours like a large cat. Not even allowing himself to catch his breath, he practically threw himself against the inner wall in an effort to get out of the guards' line of sight. Had they seen him? Sano craned his neck to peer up at the watchtowers. The guards gave no sign of noticing him; instead they stared intently at the pandemonium caused by his little distraction.  
  
Sano suddenly realized he'd been holding his breath and let it out with a soft _whoosh._ Things were actually going much better than he'd anticipated; he hadn't been shot at yet. _That's not going to last long._ He scanned the inner courtyard. It was a little over a hundred feet to the main building - not a great distance normally, but when you're surrounded by angry people with guns and there's no cover anywhere, a hundred feet can seem like a hundred miles. There was a door in almost a straight line from where Sano was standing, and it didn't look locked; if it were, it would be a simple matter to remedy the problem.  
  
If he had been a religious man, Sano would have probably been praying feverishly right then. But he wasn't religious, so he just gathered up every ounce of courage he had and bolted. Almost immediately he heard a surprised voice say, "Oi! Stop!" He kept running. Soon afterwards came the retort of rifles, followed by the whizzing of bullets past Sano's ear. Still he ran.  
  
It had begun.  
  
O_O O_O O_O   
  
When the first bombs went off, Kenshin hadn't fully registered them as anything potentially important. The unit stationed at the prison held a drill once before, with cannons going off and everything, and he had assumed that this new activity was more of the same. It took a few seconds for him to realize that the explosions didn't sound a thing like cannon fire, and the resulting shouts and general chaos confirmed that whatever was happening outside, those in charge hadn't planned it.  
  
His curiosity piqued, Kenshin walked up to the door of his cell and peered out, straining to see in the semi-gloom. Because the window was small and bars further hindered his line of sight, Kenshin could only barely make out the table that the warden always sat at. The guard wasn't there, but Kenshin could hear him yelling at somebody in the hallway. After a few seconds of shouted exchange, the warden stepped out and slammed the door behind him, leaving the cell bloc empty save for Kenshin and the one other prisoner.  
  
"Oi," called out a rough voice further down the bloc once the warden was gone, "What the hell's going on out there?"  
  
Kenshin didn't know whether the voice was addressing him, but he answered anyway. "I don't know, that I do not. There were explosions, that there were."  
  
"Well yeah, I knew that, faggot," snapped the voice. Apparently it was the prisoner that Sano had exchanged insults with some days before. "But could you please tell me why things are randomly blowing up out there?"  
  
"An attack?" a new voice much closer to Kenshin piped up. The presence of a third person took Kenshin aback; before now the third prisoner hadn't spoken once. "Maybe there's a war? Last I heard there were still samurai uprisings."  
  
"No," Kenshin said, amazed by the speaker's ignorance. How long had he been in here? "There hasn't been an attack on the government by the samurai for some time, that there has not."  
  
"Well... Maybe it's an escape attempt. Maybe somebody's trying to bust a prisoner out."  
  
The three fell silent at that thought. It was almost impossible to believe - somebody might actually free them. They all knew it was dangerous to get their hopes up. "Well then," the first voice said with false brightness, "I hope it's me their coming to get. Seriously - the service here is terrible. It's like a bloody prison!"  
  
No one laughed.  
  
Kenshin peered out between the iron bars for a few more minutes, trying in vain to garner any shred of information about what the hell was going on. The shouting continued for some time, and occasionally Kenshin could hear people thundering up and down the corridors, but nobody entered his bloc and eventually he returned to his little bench and sat down; what else could he do?  
  
After some time, Kenshin heard the door to his bloc screech on its hinges as someone flung it open, followed by a second squeal as it was closed once more. A few seconds passed before whoever had entered hurried down the hall, his shoes tapping on the stone floor. Curious, Kenshin stood and was about to walk over to the door of his cell once more when a shadow fell over the little window. In the next instant the door quite literally exploded, causing Kenshin to throw up his arms over his face protectively as bits of iron flew past him. When the rain of metal subsided, Kenshin lowered his arms, opened his arms, and gaped at the tall figure silhouetted in the doorway.  
  
Sano rubbed his fist, which was a bit sore after performing the _fukai no kiwami_ for the umpteenth time that day. He grinned his trademark cocky, lopsided grin upon seeing his friend's shocked expression. "Hi Kenshin. What's up?"  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
And so Sanosuke comes in to save the day! *fanfare*  
_Or does he?!_ Keep reading and find out! 


	11. Chapter eleven

"Sano...?" Kenshin still wasn't able to register the sight presented before him. How could...? How was it even _possible...?_  
  
The cocky grin wavered suddenly. A shudder rippled through Sanosuke's entire body and he clutched at his side. With a jolt of horror Kenshin saw a steadily growing dark red stain blooming on Sano's white shirt, leaking down onto his pant leg. Kenshin's shock and bewilderment transformed into fear and worry. "Sano! You're..." He stopped himself from stating the obvious.  
  
"How'd you like my dramatic entrance?" Sano asked, flashing another smile - although this one was more of a grimace. "I don't think the cops outside liked it too much, though." Another shudder gripped him and he staggered forward slightly, dropping the bag of explosives in the shattered doorway of the cell.  
  
Kenshin steadied his wounded friend, all the while listening intently for the thundering footsteps of enraged guards. "Sano, you... you... _idiot!_ What in the world were you thinking?!" If he were the swearing type, Kenshin would have been cussing up a storm right then.  
  
"Oh, is this the thanks I get? I go through all this trouble for you just to get insulted? C'mon, how about a kiss already?"  
  
Despite the danger of the situation, Kenshin couldn't help but roll his eyes. This guy was incorrigible! "I can't believe you," he said, and their lips met. When they parted, he said, "You are such a moron." They kissed again, this time more passionately. Kenshin's bruises screamed in protest as they held each other close in a desperate embrace, but it was Sanosuke who cried out softly in pain and pulled away.  
  
"Oh," Sano groaned, holding his bleeding side, "oh shit. Shit, that hurts. Damn, they got me pretty good." He leaned against the cold stone of the wall and slumped down. "Hold on a second. Lemme rest for a little bit. Then I'll finish rescuing you."  
  
"Sano, you can't!" Kenshin protested. "The guards will be here any minute, that they will!"  
  
Sanosuke rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "No no, it's good. I rigged almost every door between the front gate and here. They won't be coming any time soon." Kenshin still stood nervously, peering out into the hall every couple of seconds, his hands itching for his _sakabatou._  
  
Sano opened his eyes and looked up at Kenshin. "Dammit Kenshin, will you _sit down?_ God, you're making me even more stressed out than I already am. Trust me, we'll be able to hear them before they even get near."  
  
Reluctantly, Kenshin stepped away from the door and turned his attention towards Sano's wound. He kneeled beside his friend and examined the dark, shiny stain running down his side in a deathly stream. The sight filled Kenshin with dread. Not only was Sano in danger from the bullet wound itself, but the dumbass hadn't even _tried_ to staunch the bleeding and now was just as likely to die from blood loss.  
  
Muttering mild oaths under his breath, Kenshin applied pressure to the wound in order to stop the bleeding. Sano gasped in pain at the touch and pushed his hand away. "Damn, that hurts! What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"I'm stopping the bleeding, that I am," Kenshin replied. Giving Sano a sidelong glance, he added, "Moron."  
  
"Oh god, don't you start too," Sano groaned. "The world doesn't need two Saitos running around. It probably could do without the one we've got already." He pulled Kenshin close until, in order to keep from loosing his balance, Kenshin was forced to straddle Sano's legs. "I haven't seen you for god-knows how long, Kenshin. Can't I get some?"  
  
"You're delirious, that you are," Kenshin stated matter-of-factly. It wasn't just a rebuttal of Sano's advances; the loss of blood probably had affected his judgment.  
  
"So I have my excuse. What's yours?"  
  
Kenshin looked up at Sanosuke's pale, drawn face with more apprehension than amusement. "Sano, _not now._ We must get out of here immediately, that we must." He removed his hand from Sano's wound, since it seemed to have stopped bleeding. By now his hands were positively covered in the blood of the person he loved most.  
  
Suddenly, a thunderous boom reverberated throughout the building, causing the very foundations to tremble. Kenshin raised his hands protectively over his head as dust and small chinks of rock rained down from the ceiling. "Yeah," Sano remarked casually, "that'd be one of the bombs I rigged up. I think they figured out I went this way."  
  
For the second time in five minutes, Kenshin would have sworn if he were so behaviorally inclined. Instead he ripped a few strips of cloth from the hem of his _hakama_, which had been already torn by some unknown force, and fashioned a bandage for Sano. "I think it's time to go, that I do," he said. "Can you stand?"  
  
"'Course." With great difficulty and some help from Kenshin, Sano rose unsteadily to his feet and the two hobbled out into the hallway.  
  
There was only one door that opened into Kenshin's bloc - the one that Sano had come through - and they headed towards that door now. They had only just begun the arduous journey when a voice, formerly gruff and condescending, called out plaintively, "Oi, where are you guys going? You're not going to leave me here, are you?" Kenshin turned to see a pair of dark, haunted eyes staring at him between the bars of a cell near the end of the bloc. "C'mon," the man wheedled, "You've gotta help me! Please man, get me outta here!" There was a pause, then the man continued, "Look, I'm sorry I called you guys faggots. I didn't mean it. Please don't hold it against me! You guys hafta help me! I need to get out! Please!"  
  
Kenshin hesitated. It made him feel guilty to walk away from those who had it even worse off than he did, but there simply wasn't enough time with Sano's wound. He cast an apologetic look back at the prisoner. "I'm truly sorry, that I am," he said, and began to help Sanosuke towards the door once more.  
  
There was a long silence as the prisoner digested Kenshin's words. Suddenly, he exploded. "YOU ASSHOLE!!! YOU SON OF A BITCH!! YOU FAGGOT!!" he roared. "HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THIS?!! FUCK YOU!!"  
  
"Let them go," the one other remaining prisoner, the quiet one, said bitterly. "It's suicide to try and escape from here with so many guards looking for them. We're dead already, anyways."  
  
"You think I give a fuck?!" the enraged captive snarled. "I'd rather die trying to escape than rotting in this cell until they finally remember I exist and finish me off!"  
  
"What does it matter how we die?" the quiet one asked, his voice low and calm but no less passionate. "We all end up in the same place."  
  
"Well fuck you! You may be happy just sitting there but _I'm not!_"  
  
By now Kenshin and Sano had reached the door to the bloc. "Careful," Sano warned, "I set up a trip wire here, just in case." As if on cue, another explosion ripped through the building, triggering another explosion of dust and rock and surprising the two arguing prisoners into a stunned silence. Sano looked in the general direction of the explosion with mild, detached surprise. "Damn. I didn't think they'd fall for that twice. They must be dumber than I thought."  
  
Kenshin wasn't listening. He carefully removed the trip wire from where it had been strung across the doorway, making it impossible to open the door without triggering the bomb. Coiling the thin wire back up, Kenshin dropped the bomb back in the cloth bag that he'd remembered to grab at the last second. Those little metal cylinders were their only form of defense and offence, so it was in their best interest to use them frugally.  
  
He opened the door, wincing as it screeched terrible on its hinges, and peered cautiously into the hallway. It stretched away on either side, ending at a brick wall at one end and opening into another passage running perpendicular to it at the other. Doors were set occasionally along either side of the hallway, hiding other rooms or passages. Five or six uniformed guards armed with rifles dashed down the adjoining corridor at the far end, but none of them turned onto the hallway Kenshin was in and he and Sanosuke remained unseen.  
  
Closing the door carefully behind them, Sano and Kenshin hurried down the hallway. When they reached the junction at the end of the passage, Kenshin peered down both directions. It looked clear. "Which way, Sano? Where'd you come from?"  
  
Sano pointed. "Left."  
  
Kenshin started down the left corridor but quickly adjusted his speed to stay with Sano, who was moving at a mere fraction of the speed he normally did. Kenshin gritted his teeth in frustration at his companion's lagging. If he were still the Battousai, Kenshin probably would have abandoned Sano in the interest of self-preservation. The wounded fighter-for-hire just slowed him down and increased his chances of getting caught - and, consequently, killed. Such was the price of friendship.  
  
They had just reached another T-intersection when Kenshin and Sano ran smack-dab into another cluster of soldiers.  
  
Kenshin was the first to recover from the mutual surprise and pulled Sano back down the passage they'd come from, but the group of soldiers they'd run into happened to be very well trained and they recuperated soon after he did. "Freeze or we'll shoot!" one of them, presumably the leader, shouted. They weren't bluffing.  
  
Kenshin obeyed the command, as did Sano. The swordsman's mind raced furiously as he searched for a way to escape. There was a small alcove built for unknown reasons to his right; he could use one of the bombs on the guards and duck into the alcove for shelter... He quickly discarded the idea. Kenshin would not - _could not_ - kill, no matter the situation.  
  
Sanosuke, however, was not bound by that same pledge. Having imagined the same plan that Kenshin had briefly considered, he snatched a bomb, turned, and threw it at the guards while holding on to the end of the trip wire. Immediately he pushed Kenshin into the little recession with him, yanking with all his might on the wire as he did so.  
  
The resulting explosion made it feel like Sanosuke's head was going to burst. Fire, smoke, rock, and bits of seared human flesh blew by in a dark, chaotic cloud of death, but the tiny alcove shielded Sano and Kenshin from the worst of it. Kenshin was further protected by Sano, who stood protectively between the slight swordsman and the blast at the cost of several fragments of debris hitting his back with enough force to open long, shallow gashes across his skin.  
  
As the noise and heat subsided, Kenshin slowly opened his eyes. His back was against a wall and Sano was pressed up against him, breathing heavily as if he'd just run a great distance. Kenshin could feel Sano's heart beating in his broad chest like a terrified rabbit's - much more quickly than the level of exertion dictated.  
  
It was getting harder for Sano's body to keep him alive.  
  
Sano gently kissed the top of Kenshin's head. "Sorry," he murmured. "It was them or us."  
  
Kenshin nodded wordlessly, understanding - if not condoning - his friend's use of lethal force. As Sano pulled away, Kenshin noticed that the wound in his side had started bleeding again. Looking down, he saw that some of the blood had steeped onto his _kimono_. "Sano... are you going to be okay?" Kenshin asked as he stepped back into the hallway. A pointless question.  
  
Sano smiled down at his friend. "You should be more worried about yourself." Kenshin couldn't help but notice that he didn't actually answer the question. They picked their way around the debris, giving the mangled corpses that used to be their adversaries an extra-wide berth. Before they continued down the passage, Sano picked up a battered-but-usable saber off the body of a soldier and tossed it to Kenshin. "Here," he said. "I think that might come in handy."  
  
Kenshin held the sword as though it were a venomous snake about to bite. How could Sano even _think_ that he would draw a real sword on another human being, after what he had avowed so long ago? It just wasn't possible.  
  
"Okay, so it's not your _sakabatou_," Sano relented, seeing Kenshin's trepidation, "but you can still use it. Whack people with the scabbard or something, if you have to."  
  
Extremely, _extremely_ reluctantly, Kenshin stuck the saber through the sash of his _hakama_ and continued down the passage. They basically retraced Sano's path as accurately as he could remember, taking detours to avoid groups of soldiers or other potentially fatal hazards.  
  
After their first encounter, Kenshin and Sano were able to avoid any more resistance, and as they were running (sort of) down a long hallway Kenshin felt his spirits raise for the first time in many days. It was possible - just maybe - that they might actually make it, that they might get out alive, that they might be together...  
  
Suddenly, a blue-clad figure with a plain, boring face appeared at the end of the corridor. Namaka raised his pistol. There was no hesitation. No doubt. No remorse. Nothing.  
  
He fired.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Cliffhanger!! MWAH!! Lucky for you, the story is already finished so you don't have to wait, like, a month for the next chapter like you normally would... 


	12. Chapter twelve

Last chapter! *more fanfare*   
And oh are you guys gonna hate me when this ends....  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
_This can't be happening_, Kenshin thought. Things like this didn't happen in real life - it was reserved for stories. For the theater. For nightmares.  
  
But this wasn't a nightmare.  
  
Sanosuke staggered as the little round bullet hit him square in the chest. There was no sound, no cry of pain at all, giving it the surreal atmosphere of some terrible dream - a dream that couldn't be woken up from. As Kenshin looked on in wide-eyed shock, Sano sank to his knees, a look of complete surprise on his face. Teetering there for a moment that lasted an eternity, he slumped down on the cold floor.  
  
It was this last action that finally tore Kenshin out of his horrified trance. "Sano!" he sobbed, practically diving for his fallen friend.  
  
"Please do not move, Himura-_san_," Namaka said, pointing his revolver at Kenshin.  
  
It was the terrifying coolness of his voice, not the words themselves, which forced Kenshin to obey. Though every fiber in Kenshin's being screamed at him to check Sano - _He might still be alive! Oh god, please let him be alive!_ - he stood and faced his plain-faced nemesis, his whole body shaking slightly with shock and grief.   
  
"Please excuse the inconvenience," Namaka said, as if he were asking Kenshin a minor favor, "but if you don't mind I'd like to kill you by the sword. I believe it will be much more entertaining." He holstered his gun and drew his sword - a _katana_ instead of the usual saber. It was the first atypical attribute about him, besides his unnatural speed. The blade glinting keenly in the light of the kerosene lanterns lining the walls, Namaka advanced at a relaxed walk towards Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin made no move for his weapon. Instead, he stared down at Sano's still form, as if unwilling to believe that the fighter wasn't going to stand back up, flash his cocky grin, and make some smart-ass remark like he had all those times before. _Get up, get up_, Kenshin commanded his friend silently. Sano couldn't die now - they'd been through too much together. Since they'd met, Kenshin and Sano had shared danger, sorrow, and joy. They had divulged innermost thoughts and emotions, learned the taste of each other's bodies...  
  
Anger flared up in Kenshin, causing him to clench his quivering fists. He could have been happy! For once, after all these years, he had found someone to love and desire. Didn't he deserve at least a _little_ happiness? And what about Sanosuke, who had also been through so many hardships? Couldn't _he_ get some pleasure, some satisfaction out of life? It wasn't fair! Just when they'd found some glimmer of joy, some little bit of happiness to call their own, it was torn away for ever... by _him_.  
  
Kenshin's gaze snapped up and landed on Namaka, who was now just a few dozen feet away. It was _his_ fault Sano was gone. Because of _him_, Kenshin couldn't ever be with the one he loved again. What right did he have to do this to someone?!  
  
...But... no... that wasn't right. It wasn't just Namaka who was responsible - not even that slimeball Fushiyuuki was entirely to blame. The whole fucking world was. The entire planet was against Kenshin. Against Sano. Against _them_. Even if there were gods, then they were also hostile towards Kenshin and Sano. There was no way they could have ever been happy - for reasons that they couldn't even understand or begin to control. It just _wasn't fair..._  
  
A cold, terrible bitterness gripped Kenshin's heart with icy claws, replacing his initial anger and sorrow and wiping out all other thoughts. Without even realizing it, his trembling hand strayed over the hilt of the sword Sano had given him. As he gripped the hilt the shaking in his limbs subsided, replaced by a quiet - yet immense - strength. "No..." he whispered. A refusal of temptation? Even he didn't know. "No," he repeated, more forcefully, "no, _no, NO!!_" This final word of denial morphed into a ferocious battle cry as he drew his sword just in time to block Namaka's blow. The two clashed for a moment, sparks flying from their blades, before they sprang away to size each other up. A mere second passed before they charged.  
  
A saber and a _katana_ are very similar in principal - that is, they both focus on slashing the opponent with the blade rather than stabbing with the tip, which is the driving notion in most Western blades. Because of this parallel, it was relatively easy for Kenshin to adapt to the European-made sword as he and Namaka dueled. However, the confined space of the corridor prevented Kenshin from maneuvering much and thus he couldn't perform his deadliest attacks, which Namaka used to his full advantage. The fight quickly became a contest of brute strength and speed, areas where the contestants were nearly equal. The two exchanged blows again and again, both straining for an opening in the other's impeccable defense.  
  
As the duel dragged on, Kenshin retreated further and further into the unfeeling tundra that was growing inside him in order to escape the near-incapacitating grief that vied for dominance within his heart. He had hidden in this frozen landscape devoid of any emotion long before - during the revolution, as the Battousai who killed without mercy. Kenshin abhorred reverting to the inhuman ways of his former self, but it was either that or face the horrendous truth: Sano was gone.  
  
He just couldn't admit that. Not yet.  
  
Old habits and nuances resurfaced as Kenshin delved deeper into the persona of the Battousai. His footwork became firmer, more confident, and his blows lost their hesitation, their fear of causing real damage. Namaka must have noticed, for his own swordplay suddenly seemed more anxious and in a greater rush to finish the job he had started. Suddenly, Kenshin realized that he'd crossed too far over the schism that separated the wanderer that refused to kill from the lethal Battousai. _Oh god,_ he thought, _what am I doing? I can't...!_  
  
Too little. Too late.  
  
He slashed downwards. Something warm and wet splattered across his face. Namaka collapsed to the ground, his chest a bloody mess. Kenshin could literally see the last beating of his enemy's heart as the blood spewing from severed arteries pulsed once, twice, then slowed to a trickle.  
  
Kenshin stared down at his slain adversary, his eyes wide and glazed over with shock. _Ten years..._ ten years ago he had made the oath to never take a life again. His entire being had been devoted to fulfilling that oath, even if it meant his own life. And now he had broken his vow. Consciously. _Willingly._ It made part of Kenshin want to vomit even thinking about what he'd done. And yet...  
  
And yet, another part of him - a part that was rapidly taking control - felt surprisingly... _liberated._ That part of Kenshin was like a wild animal in a cage - confined, under control for now, yet very conscious - and now that that animal had broken free it wanted to make up for lost time spent in captivity, away from the world.  
  
At the end of the hallway, another regiment of soldiers searching for the escaped convicts spotted Kenshin and what used to be Namaka. Amongst loud shouts of "Namaka-_san!_" and "You bastard!" the soldiers drew their swords and charged at Kenshin with the full intention of avenging their fallen comrade.  
  
The Battousai heard and registered their presence, though he did not turn towards them. Instead, he dropped his pilfered saber on the stone floor with a loud clang and picked up Namaka's _katana_, which was definitely a superior weapon. As he ran his fingers along the finely honed blade with the same tenderness that one would embrace a long-absent friend who had just returned, the Battousai looked back over his shoulder at the oncoming men, his eyes like two cold, hard gems. After years of being healed over, the damaged skin tissue on his left cheek spontaneously reopened as neatly as if it had been sliced with a knife.  
  
Kenshin's scar began to bleed.  
  
O_O O_O O_O  
  
Fushiyuuki looked out the carriage window, back at the structure of the prison receding into the trees, and settled back into his plush seat. At the first sign of trouble he had high-tailed his ass out of there, leaving his aide Namaka behind with full confidence in the unusual man's ability to handle any... _problems_ that may occur.  
  
Drumming his fingers rapidly on his leg, Fushiyuuki chewed his lower lip with irritation. He was scheduled to have a meeting with the Director of Internal Affairs concerning his upcoming promotion in return for his quick handling of the attempted bombing incident, but this incident currently unfolding at the prison would undoubtedly delay things. If the shit really hit the fan, it was even possible that Fushiyuuki would be denied his long-sought-after advancement. Of all the possible days to have an event like this...  
  
Suddenly, the carriage lurched to an abrupt halt. Fushiyuuki looked up, an annoyed expression on his face. _Now_ what? He waited for a moment, expecting either the driver or one of his other escorts to open the door and explain exactly what the hell was going on, coupled with a profuse apology for the inconvenience. Seconds passed, but no one appeared. Finally, Fushiyuuki's patience ran out and he irritably opened the door himself, silently deciding exactly whose heads were going to roll for all this.  
  
He turned and spotted the liver-colored horse of one of his escorts milling nervously several yards off the road, stamping its hooves, snorting, and flattening its ears fretfully. The sight didn't sit right with Fushiyuuki. Where the hell was the rider? He looked around and quickly spotted both of his escorts. Lying on the road. Surrounded by blood. With most of their insides on the outside.  
  
The blood drained from Fushiyuuki's face at the sight of his slain men. Quickly nearing panic, he whirled around - only to be faced with the driver, whose broken body was draped over the top of the carriage. The right arm was missing; all was left was a bloody stump cut so cleanly that Fushiyuuki could see all the bone and veins as clearly as if it were a cross-section diagram in a book of anatomy.  
  
Standing over the driver's body, the carriage's reins in one hand and a bloody _katana_ in the other, was a short, lean man with long hair as red as the blood that was splattered over his clothes and face. On his left cheek, a cross-shaped gash oozed dark blood, adding to his demonic appearance. It took a few moments for Fushiyuuki's panicked brain to recognize the man - it was the swordsman that had turned himself in as the culprit in the attempted bombing of the Internal Affairs building. Himura Kenshin. Formerly known as _Hitokiri Battousai_... "Battousai the Manslayer."  
  
Bile rose in Fushiyuuki's throat as he realized, despite being quite good with a sword, he stood no chance against someone of the Battousai's caliber. Nevertheless, he drew his sword and said in a loud, forced voice, "Well, well, well, if it isn't my dear friend Himura-_san_. I see you convinced the guards to let you go."  
  
The Battousai didn't respond, didn't so much as move a muscle.  
  
"Tell me, Himura-_san_, what exactly do you hope to accomplish by... eh... all this?" Fushiyuuki asked, gesturing with the blade of his saber at the bodies of the soldiers. "You're only hastening your own demise by going on this delightful little rampage. Even if you kill me, eventually they will catch you - and the next time they do they won't give you the chance to escape."  
  
One look into the Battousai's eyes told Fushiyuuki that he already knew he was doomed - and that he didn't care. His eyes weren't those of a desperate man, of a man seeking revenge, nor even of a madman. Those two amethyst eyes, which burned into Fushiyuuki's very soul, weren't even human; they were the eyes of a demon. Gone were the emotional barriers, the complex sentiments that all humans share. Instead, there was pure, unadulterated hatred of the whole world. This was a being that would kill everyone on the planet if he were able.  
  
Before Fushiyuuki could draw his next breath, the Battousai made his first move. Dropping the reins, he crouched briefly and then jumped - he was impossibly high; how could anyone jump like that? - into the air. As Fushiyuuki followed the Battousai's path, the midday sun shone into his eyes and momentarily blinded him. Reflexively, he put up a hand to shield his eyes from the glare. _Damn him to hell,_ he thought, _he's using the sun to_ -   
  
He wasn't even able to finish the thought. In the next heartbeat, the Battousai plunged down and slashed. Suddenly, the arm Fushiyuuki had used to shield his eyes was gone. Just like that - gone. Staring in horror at the stump that abruptly ended just below the elbow, at the blood that gushed out in time to the beating of his own terrified heart, Fushiyuuki opened his mouth to scream. But even that was denied him, for without a moment's hesitation the Battousai swung his blade upwards and cut diagonally from Fushiyuuki's hip to his shoulder, slicing him nearly in half.  
  
Fushiyuuki collapsed in a bloody heap with a sound that resembled someone dropping a half-full bag of wet cement. He was dead long before he hit the ground. The Battousai watched him fall, shifting his foot slightly to avoid the remaining outstretched arm. Slowly, calmly, he raised one hand to his face and wiped away the blood from his victims that had splattered on his face. As he did so, his fingers brushed the tender flesh of his newly opened scar, sending a twinge of pain up the side of his face.  
  
He paused, as if he had just now realized that his scar was bleeding. Carefully, the Battousai ran his fingers up and down the length of the gash as if stroking it, contemplating the spasms of pain it induced. After a moment he withdrew his hand and held it in front of him, staring down at the blood on his fingertips. There was so much blood on those hands - the blood of the Battousai's enemies, the blood of those he hated... but also the blood of those he loved...  
  
Slowly, his eyes softened their gaze as the manslayer receded and the gentle wanderer took control once more. As he left his icy cocoon, a barrage of emotions assailed Kenshin with so much force that it actually hurt him physically. Oh dear god, what had he _done?!_ With a sob of agony Kenshin sank to his knees, letting fall the tears that would not come before. Not only had he killed so many people, but Sanosuke was gone. _Dead._ Kenshin had broken two vows - to never kill again, and to protect those he loved.  
  
Kenshin wept uncontrollably for several minutes, hugging himself and rocking back and forth like a scared child, as the events of the past day replayed themselves over and over, always returning to the look of surprise on Sanosuke's face as the life drained out of him. God, why did it have to be like this? How could Kenshin live with himself now? He'd never be able to look Kaoru or Yahiko in the face again, after what he'd done. They'd be so ashamed to be even associated with a murderer like him.  
  
_Murderer._ Kenshin shuddered at the word. It was so ugly, so cruel - yet even that word didn't fully describe the terrible, ghastly crime he'd committed. He was a murderer. A killer. A _hitokiri_. Kenshin groaned with anguish and bent over double until the edges of his red bangs brushed the bloodstained ground before him. As he did so, something caught the sun and glinted brightly in the corner of his eye. He turned to see the _katana_ he'd taken from Namaka lying in the dirt, its blade dulled with blood from his victims. It made Kenshin sick to even look at that weapon; he wanted to either throw it into the woods or run away as fast as he could or both. But still...  
  
He picked up the _katana_ by the blade, ignoring how the razor-sharp edge bit into his palms and drew blood. _This sword has taken so many lives_, Kenshin thought. Perhaps it could claim just one more. He placed the tip of the blade against his stomach, right below his sternum, pressing just hard enough to nick the skin. Closing his eyes, Kenshin tilted his head back slightly and whispered one word - his first true prayer: "Sano..."  
  
Himura Kenshin ended one last life.  
  
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*moment of silence*  
  
....I really hope that made you sad. It _is_ what I intended. But don't bother yelling at me because when you think about it, this is the most logical ending. And the least cheesy. And if there's one thing I hate, it's cheesy endings.  
  
So please send in your reviews, whether you liked the story or not. This is my only source of entertainment other than homework. 


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